PGN March 27 - April 2, 2009 by The Philadelphia Gay News

Philadelphia Gay News Honesty Integrity Professionalism

Mar. 27 - Apr. 2, 2009

Vol. 33 No. 13

Former area newsman murdered after Internet tryst By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

A radio broadcaster who grew up in the Philadelphia area was murdered last weekend in his New York City apartment. Police found the body of George Weber, 47, who had been stabbed dozens of times, on the morning of March 22 after a fellow staffer at ABC News Radio, where Weber worked as a freelance anchor, grew concerned when he did not show up for work. Police arrested 16-year-old John Katehis of Queens for the murder in upstate New York earlier this week. Paul Browne, New York Police Department spokesman, said Katehis had been hiding out in Middletown, N.Y., where police apprehended him at about 11 p.m. March 24. Browne said police have not determined a motive but that Katehis “has made statements implicating himself.” Katehis told police he answered an ad that Weber had placed on Craigslist.com requesting a partner in “rough sex.” The pair met up on the night of March 20 in Brooklyn and went to Weber’s apartment, where the two drank vodka and inhaled cocaine together, the suspect told police. Browne said the murder took place sometime after 6 p.m. “[Katehis] met the victim online through Craigslist and they met up at the victim’s

Jones contacted apartment, where police again later that he was stabbed morning and they approximately 50 returned, this time times in the neck, the entering the apartment upper torso and arms and finding the murder and the victim also had scene. defensive wounds on “We are shocked his hands,” Browne described. and deeply saddened Police found Weber by the death of our in his bedroom, halfcolleague and friend naked, with his feet George Weber, who bound together by duct was the victim of what tape. police have deemed a Although the teen homicide at his home admitted to stabbing in Brooklyn,” Jones Weber, he said he said in a statement. “blanked out” during “Our condolences GEORGE WEBER (RIGHT) AND and prayers go out to the attack. NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL George’s family and According to some BLOOMBERG AP Photo/ABC News Radio news reports, Katehis friends at this very said Weber initially difficult time.” brandished a knife at him, but Browne said Weber had worked at WABC-AM in New he could not comment on that allegation. York as a news reporter for several popular Katehis allegedly attempted to clean up shows, such as “Curtis and Kuby,” but the after the murder and left the water running station let him go last year amid budget in both the bathtub and a sink. cuts. Since then, Weber had done freelance work for the national network. The murder weapon has not been found. Weber described on his Web site that he’d ABC News Radio vice president Steve Jones contacted police at about 12:30 a.m. been fascinated with radio since a young March 24 after Weber failed to report for age, “so much so I took over the basement work the previous night and did not answer of my parents’ home to set up a makeshift his home phone. Police were dispatched radio station.” He landed his first position in the field at to Weber’s apartment but left after finding nothing suspicious. age 15 at the Centennial School District’s

WCSD-FM in Warminster. According to his site, while still in high school, Weber “talked [his] way” into a job at WBUX in Doylestown, a position he held for about three years before he accepted a job as a news reporter at WAEB in Allentown. Weber spent about two-and-a-half years at the station but left for a station in Denver in 1985. Prior to moving to New York, Weber also worked at stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. On his Web site, Weber compiled a list of his most memorable radio moments, which included a brief encounter with former President Jimmy Carter during his days at his school’s radio station; the San Francisco Earthquake of 1989 and the Oklahoma City bombing. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, ranked ﬁrst on Weber’s list. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who used to host a weekly radio show on WABC to which Weber contributed, said Weber was a consummate professional. “George was the kind of professional who could give you the news and his views without one getting in the way of the other,” Bloomberg said. “On or off the air, and especially during our commercial breaks, his views were incisive and insightful. He will be missed by millions of radio listeners, including me.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn. com.

Vt. Senate OKs gay-marriage bill The Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The northeastern state of Vermont has moved a step closer to becoming one of the few U.S. states where same-sex marriage is legal. The Vermont Senate gave its ﬁnal stamp of approval to a bill that would allow gay couples to marry in the state. Lawmakers passed the measure on Tuesday in a voice vote with no debate. Now the issue moves to the state House, where a committee has scheduled a week’s worth of testimony on the bill. “It provides ... gay and lesbian couples the same rights that I have as a married heterosexual,” said Sen. John Campbell, vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chief sponsor of the bill. The measure would replace

Vermont’s ﬁrst-in-the-nation civilunions law with one that allows marriage of same-sex partners beginning Sept. 1. Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, announced during a press conference March 25 that he would veto the bill if it reaches his desk. “Because I believe that by removing any uncertainty from my decision we can move more quickly beyond this debate, I am announcing I intend to veto this legislation when it reaches my desk,” Douglas said. The legislation would need a two-thirds vote in each house to override the governor’s veto. If approved, Vermont would join northeastern neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut as the only U.S. states that allow gays and lesbians to marry. The committee approval last

Friday ended an intense week highlighted by a public hearing last Wednesday night in which more than 500 people swarmed the Statehouse to speak for and against allowing same-sex marriages. Civil unions, which confer some rights similar to marriage, would still be recognized but no longer granted after Sept. 1. Campbell said marriage is an improvement over civil unions both substantively and as a matter of wording. On the ﬁrst score, he said, marriage is more widely legally recognized than civil unions. If a couple from Vermont got into an accident in Kansas, a spouse likely would have a stronger claim to hospital visitation rights if they were married than if they were in a

RAINBOW WARRIORS: Organizers of the University of Pennsylvania’s 2009 QPenn Week sported their LGBT pride during the kickoff party of the annual LGBT Awareness Week March 22 at the Fox Art Gallery. QPenn supplement editors Curtis Rogers (from left), Phil Shecter and Paul Richards (back row, right), who helped design a multi-page LGBT supplement to the university’s student newspaper, gathered with QPenn secretary Tyler Ernst (back row, left), co-chairs Paul Richards (center) and Katherine Atkinson and publicity chair Marianne Mondt. QPenn Week See MARRIAGE, Page 15 activities will continue until March 29. Photo: Scott A. Drake

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Officer who refused to arrest anti-LGBT activists files suit By Timothy Cwiek PGN Writer-at-Large

A Kutztown University police ofﬁcer has ﬁled a federal lawsuit claiming that he was wrongfully disciplined for refusing to remove anti-LGBT demonstrators from campus two years ago. According to his suit, Cpl. Steven Armbruster says he was adhering to the U.S. Constitution when he rejected an order by Kutztown University Police Chief William F. Mioskie to remove members of Repent America from campus on April 18, 2007. About 20 anti-LGBT protesters appeared on campus during the Day of Silence commemoration at the university, an annual event that spotlights anti-LGBT harassment and discrimination. But the demonstrators were greeted with anything but silence. Instead, about 300 KU students gathered near the demonstrators, and many erupted into chants of “Racist, sexist, antigay — Bornagain bigots, go away!” Within an hour of their arrival, two of the demonstrators — Michael A. Marcavage and James

Deferio — were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The crowd reacted to their arrests with jubilation. However, the charges eventually were dismissed by a local judge. Deferio, 58, of Syracuse, N.Y., said his arrest was unwarranted. “A college campus should be a free exchange of ideas, and to have the police try to shut down this exchange was illegal,” Deferio said. Armbruster filed suit in Philadelphia on March 6, and the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones. Armbruster was suspended for five days after the incident and a disciplinary letter was placed in his personnel file. He lost about $600 in wages due to the suspension. According to the suit, he’s also been passed over for training and promotional opportunities. Armbruster is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory damages, to be determined by a jury, according to his lawsuit. Additionally, he’s asking the judge to issue a permanent injunction requiring university

officials to remove the disciplinary letter from his file, and to agree not to punish him in the future if he refuses to remove demonstrators from campus, according to the suit. Matthew L. Santos, a university spokesperson, declined to comment for this story. Randall L. Wenger, an attorney for Armbruster, said the officer simply followed the Constitution when declining to move the demonstrators off campus. To do so would have violated their freespeech rights and their right to be free of unlawful seizure and/or arrest, he maintained. “The issue is whether Cpl. Armbruster has a right to refrain from violating other people’s constitutional rights,” Wenger said. “He’s sensitive to the Constitution, and he didn’t want to threaten someone with arrest by enforcing a law that wasn’t applicable.” Wenger said there was no impending threat of violence to justify removing the demonstrators. If officials had been more patient, both sides eventually would have left the area without any need for

arrests, he said. “Just because the students were upset and didn’t like the message, that’s not a valid reason to order the demonstrators off campus,” Wenger added. At the time of the incident, demonstrators at the university were required to schedule their appearance at least two weeks prior to the event and be affiliated with a campus group. Repent America had followed neither requirement. Since that time, the university has modified its requirements. Currently, public demonstrations must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance of the event, and demonstrators don’t need to be affiliated with a campus group. But if a disruption is expected, remedial steps must be taken to minimize the disruption, under the current requirements. In addition to Mioskie, Armbruster’s lawsuit names Kutztown University President E. Javier Cevallos as a defendant, along with John C. Cavanaugh, who serves as chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Wenger said PASSHE should have ensured that police officials at Kutztown University were adequately trained on the First Amendment rights of demonstrators. “Judging by the actions of Chief Mioskie that day, his training on constitutional issues was woefully inadequate,” Wenger said. Mioskie declined to comment for this story. Kenn Marshall, a spokesperson for PASSHE, said campus police must attend a state-mandated training program. “I can’t respond to the lawsuit itself,” Marshall said. “But I can say that all of our campus police officers are required to complete a state-mandated training program.” Marcavage, 29, was pleased to learn of Armbruster’s lawsuit. “This case has the potential to affirm the rights of Pennsylvania police officers to refrain from participating in unconstitutional arrests, despite any illegal orders by their superiors,” Marcavage said. ■ Timothy Cwiek can be reached at (215) 625-8501 ext. 208.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

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Gay couple gets help from Sen. John Kerry

The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus gets down and boogies

Sen. John Kerry has asked the Obama administration to grant asylum to a gay man who was forced to return to Brazil after he married a U.S. citizen in Massachusetts. Page 7

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The Philadelphia Theatre Company is revisiting “At Home at the Zoo,” the ﬁrst play ever written by legendary gay playwright Edward Albee.

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News Briefing

Regional Out Jamaican poet to headline LGBT conference By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Staceyann Chin knows what Paradise is like — and it’s certainly not brimming with peace and prosperity. The several years Chin spent in the Jamaican village of Paradise during her adolescence were turbulent and at times traumatizing, but helped solidify her motivation to push past the poverty in which she was raised and defy the cultural expectations she faced. Chin, an openly lesbian poet and author, will share her passion for storytelling with the Philadelphia LGBTQ community next weekend when she reads selections from and signs copies of her new memoir, “The Other Side of Paradise,” during the 2009 LGBT Womyn of Color Conference, April 3-4. Chin said that while her own background may differ from that of the event’s participants, she expects the message of her memoir to resonate with the entire audience. “I think it’s a human tale of survival,” Chin said. “In these times, I think this story is becoming more relevant because America has just left behind its era of plenty. I think people will recognize some of their own desires, or even their needs, that aren’t met in this book.” Chin, who is of Jamaican and Chinese descent, spent part of her childhood in Lottery, Jamaica, raised by her grandmother, but yearning for the mother who abandoned her and a father she never met. At age 9, Chin was separated from her grandmother and brother and went to live with relatives in Paradise, an area she

said represents the vast rude, which intensified economic divides of the people’s response to my island nation. being gay. “Paradise is split “And it’s always between on one hand complex in communities being very poor and the of color, too. When young other being very wealthy, white people in movies and I lived in the very come out, it usually kind poor section and longed of turns out OK, whereas to belong to the other in communities of color, side of Paradise,” she we have so much we’re said, describing the title already dealing with in of her memoir. “In the our communities. When North American public I came out, I wasn’t just imagination, people think coming out as a lesbian, of Jamaica as this idyllic but I was flying in the holiday place with the sea, STACEYANN CHIN face of traditions and food, fun and resorts, and introducing a foreign this story is about the other side of Paradise. way of life into a space that had already It’s not all a place of holidays and summer decided it’d rejected it. I was brutally honest nights.” and walked into every room a lesbian first Chin’s tale describes the hardships that she and me and everything else about me later.” and other members of her island community Chin said she did experience violence faced, detailing the poverty and abuse she motivated by her sexuality, which prompted was confronted with and the abandonment her move to the United States at age 24. issues that have followed her throughout her Even after she’d settled in the country, life. though, she faced other biases, which The story also follows Chin’s gradual influenced her desire to express her identity acknowledgement of her sexuality. through writing. She said when she did begin to realize that “When I came here as a lesbian, I she was a lesbian, she embraced her identity, expected joy and wonder and, ‘It’s going to at times a little too forcefully. be amazing,’ and then I discovered racism,” “When I came out, I think I was so brash she said. “So I began the journey of writing and unashamed to be a lesbian and also had a down who I was with the hope that it’d lot of the hubris of youth, and I think I forgot make it into literature that I would read and how to deal with the cultural norms of the that my children could one day read.” world in which I lived. Although I was proud Chin, now 35, has taken her slam poetry and unapologetically lesbian, I almost forgot around the world and garnered a cavalcade that kind of excitement of being lesbian,” of awards for her work. She won the 1998 she said. “Not being accepted turned me into See POET, Page 15 a jerk, and I became unbearably crass and

Women of color hold grassroots gathering More than 100 women from across the country will gather in Philadelphia next weekend for a conference that seeks to engage and empower sexual-minority women of color. The LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference, April 3-4, will fuse both entertainment and education to forge connections among the community. The grassroots effort developed through the collaboration of a small group of local women last summer. “We were hearing this constant conversation about this particular community being in need of some type of healing or release or forum in which women can talk about the experiences they’re having and get advice from each other or outside sources,” said Shayna Israel, an event organizer. Organizer Fatimah Muhammad said the planning process was fueled by the

contributions of the community members. “What’s so powerful about this process is that these are women who aren’t necessarily a part of LGBTQ organizations, but are largely volunteers and professionals in many different ﬁelds,” she said. “They’re artists and activists who have a pulse on what is happening in the community.” The conference, whose theme is “Breathing Fire: Channeling the Power Within,” will draw participants from both the East and West Coasts, the South and even as far as the West Indies. Soda Nobuhle, president of The Womyn’s Village, a local organization for sexual-minority women of color, said she was impressed by the determination of the organizers. “These are young women, powerful women wanting to talk about some of the disparities in the community,” she said. “And it’s going to happen in a way that’s

natural for women, this natural gathering, and it will be emphasized around arts and culture.” The opening-night festivities, 5-10 p.m. April 3 at the Christ Church Theater, 20 N. American St., will feature out poet and author Staceyann Chin, who will read from her new memoir, “The Other Side of Paradise,” as well as performances by female hip-hop group 3XLadyCrew and the Nzinga Arts Collective. From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. the following day, participants will gather at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St., to take part in a series of workshops on relationships, sexual practices, spirituality and body/health topics. For more information, visit www. ﬁretickets.eventbrite.com. ■ — Jen Colletta

City Council to consider street closures City Council last week approved Councilman-at-Large Bill Green’s resolution that calls for hearings on possible street closures to boost foot traffic at area businesses. The resolution notes that cities across the country, such as Boston, Santa Monica and most recently New York, have permanently shut down certain streets to vehicular traffic to promote their retail and restaurant areas. “Philadelphia has an active and vibrant ‘café culture’ in some parts of the city, where restaurants offer outdoor seating and there are lots of pedestrians patronizing those businesses,” Green said in a statement. “I’d like to explore the idea of bringing this experience to more neighborhoods in the city.” Green spokesperson Seth Levi cautioned that the resolution just called for hearings on the issue in the Committee on Streets and Services and was not advocating that the city immediately take up the issue. Levi said a date had not yet been set for the hearings and noted that more specific plans could be addressed during the hearings.

Legal group heads to Broadway The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, which provides comprehensive legal services to the HIV/AIDS community, is sponsoring a bus trip April 11 to New York City to see the Broadway hit “Billy Elliot the Musical.” The group has 50 available tickets, and a portion of the sales will beneﬁt AIDS Law Project. Breakfast and snacks will be provided on the bus, which will depart from 12th and Chestnut streets at about 9 a.m. and arrive in New York City in time for guests to enjoy lunch on their own and do some sightseeing before meeting up for the 2 p.m. show. The production is based on the Academy Award-nominated 2000 ﬁlm “Billy Elliot” that follows a young boy’s dream to become a ballet dancer. Elton John created the score for the musical. The package is $275 and interested attendees should e-mail billye4aidslaw@aol.com with the number of tickets requested and the names and phone numbers of those who will be attending. For more information, call Ed Bomba at (267) 251-4504. Tickets can also be purchased at www. aidslawpa.org. ■ — Jen Colletta

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Country-western dancers lasso in funds for nonprofits By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Cowboys and girls from around the region will mosey into Pure Nightclub this weekend to hit the dance floor for area nonprofits. The 14th annual Lassos & Lariats charity country-dance event will be held from 4-11 p.m. tomorrow at Pure, 1221 St. James St. Lassos & Lariats was founded in the 1990s as a community fundraiser for the now-defunct Gay and Lesbian Switchboard. Once the organization closed down, event founder Michael Flynn decided to open up Lassos & Lariats as a benefit for other LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations. The 2009 beneficiaries are The Attic Youth Center and the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey. Event co-chair James Erhart

said organizers are hoping to bring in $15,000, to be split between the groups — but that, in light of the recession, fundraising efforts have been slow. “Unfortunately it’s been a very tough year,” Erhart said. “We’re getting donations for rafﬂe baskets but so far we’ve had a really hard time getting money this year.” Lassos & Lariats was last held in 2007, as last year’s event was postponed, and drew $12,000 for The Attic and local HIV/AIDS organization Siloam. About 300 people attended the previous event, and Erhart said he expects attendance at this year’s festivities to be on par with that number. The night will kick off with dance lessons from 4-6 p.m. and a dinner buffet from 5-7 p.m. The entertainment portion of the event will feature performances by drag star Shana Matthews, the

D.C. Cowboys and the Manhattan Prairie Dogs. Country DJ Leigh Richards of 92.5 WXTU, who’s lent her emcee skills to Lassos & Lariats for a number of years, will return again to host the event. Attendees will be invited to the dance ﬂoor for several opendancing sessions throughout the night with DJs John Stypa, Cliff Roberts and June Bromley. Erhart noted that partiers do not need any country-dance experience to take part, as instructors will teach them the moves. “Country’s a lot of fun and you can meet a lot of new people,” he said. “If I’m teaching a new person, I usually teach them the two-step to a slow song ﬁrst to get the beat and rhythm, and then build it up from there.” Lassos & Lariats co-chair Diane Forsythe said she’s eager for this year’s event to generate a large

turnout and a large contribution to the worthy beneﬁciaries. “The Attic is a wonderful beneﬁciary because the money goes right to the kids, and I think we all could’ve used a place like that growing up,” Forsythe said. “And the AIDS Coalition does such good work. By giving to them, you may even be helping someone you know without even knowing it. It’s always good to give back.” Forsythe credited the hard work

of the all-volunteer board for bringing the event back year after year. “We have no ties, except to the community. We’re just friends and we pitch in and everybody does what they can to get the most for the beneﬁciaries.” Tickets to Lassos & Lariats are $25 and can be purchased at www. lassosandlariats.com. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

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Media Trail

Sen. Kerry seeks asylum for gay man married in U.S. By Melissa Trujillo The Associated Press

BOSTON — Sen. John Kerry has asked the Obama administration to grant asylum to a gay man who was forced to return to Brazil after he married a U.S. citizen in Massachusetts. Genesio “Junior” Oliveira has been separated from his husband, Tim Coco, since August 2007, when he left the country after his request for asylum and an appeal were denied. Oliveira asked for asylum in 2002, saying he was raped and attacked by a physician as a teenager in Brazil and feared persecution because of his sexuality. The Associated Press does not typically name rape victims, but Oliveira speaks openly about his case and allows his name to be used. In a letter sent last Thursday to U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder, Kerry said Immigration Judge Francis Cramer found Oliveira’s testimony to be credible and his fear of living in Brazil genuine. However, the judge denied the claim, saying the man “was never physically harmed” by the rape, the letter stated. Kerry called the ruling “outrageous.” “Tim and Junior have played by the rules since day one,” Kerry said. “Junior’s asylum claim is a legitimate one and has been recognized as such.” While Brazilians are generally more tolerant of homosexual conduct than their neighbors in Spanish-speaking Latin America, the country remains something of a paradox. Judges have granted foreign partners in gay relationships the right to residence and have authorized civil unions that bestow many of the same benefits of marriage to gay couples, but many segments of society remain openly hostile to homosexuals. The Executive Office for Immigration Review will not confirm or deny whether an immigrant has been requested asylum. The Department of Justice said Holder would review the letter and respond to Kerry, but would not comment at this time. In an interview last Friday, Kerry would not speculate on how the Obama administration might rule on the request. “But I think that, in my sense, justice and compassion require us to deal with this as a valid asylum case,” said Kerry. “[Oliveira’s] safety is at stake living in Brazil, that’s been proven. “Nobody’s asking to overturn or change the federal law. This is really a humanitarian situation that deserves an appropriate focus,” he said.

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Neb. bill could target gays The Sioux City Journal reports that Nebraska’s gay community is concerned it might be unfairly targeted by a bill meant to punish those who knowingly spread a deadly disease, such as HIV/AIDS. The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard testimony March 20 on a measure, LB 625, that would make it illegal to intentionally spread a deadly disease through sex. “I’m concerned that this will be a witch hunt against the gay community of Nebraska,” Lucas Peterson of Lincoln said after the hearing. Violators could face a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.

School sued for homophobic atmosphere

UNEQUAL CITIZEN: Tim Coco (right) sits in his Haverhill, Mass., office March 20 as he laughs with his husband, Genesio “Junior” Januario Oliveira Jr. via a video conference call. Oliveira, who is in Brazil, was forced to leave the United States in August 2007 when his application for asylum and an appeal were denied. Sen. John Kerry (DMass.) has sent a letter to Attorney Gen. Eric Holder asking him to grant asylum to Oliveira, who has been married to Coco since 2005. AP Photo: Elise Amendola

The Massachusetts senator said he got involved in the case after Coco contacted his ofﬁce and asked for help. Immigrants also can apply for residency if they marry U.S. citizens. But the federal government does not recognize gay marriages under the Defense of Marriage Act, and Oliveira’s request to remain in the United States based on his relationship with Coco was denied last month. Coco said they ﬁled an appeal of that decision last Friday. The couple met in 2002, when Oliveira was on vacation. He began the asylum process that year after returning to Massachusetts to be with the 47-year-old Coco. “We didn’t go into it to be activists, we went into it to be together,” Coco said. The couple married in 2005 and bought a house together. After losing their appeal in 2007, Oliveira was given 60 days to leave the country. Aside from short trips and frequent video calls on the computer, the husbands have not been together since. Oliveira was denied a visa to return to Massachusetts last year for

the funeral of Coco’s mother. Oliveira now lives with his mother, helping her run a boarding house for students. The 2000 census found at least 36,000 gay and lesbian couples in the United States in which one partner was a citizen and one was an immigrant, said Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, which advocates for gay and lesbian immigrants. Unlike heterosexual couples, they can’t use their relationships to stay together in the United States, she said. Asking for asylum is a much more difﬁcult process. “Their relationship isn’t being treated equally, and at the end of the day, hardworking American citizens who play by the rules are forced to choose between their country and the people they love,” Tiven said. Kerry has co-sponsored a bill that would allow gays and lesbians from other countries to become legal residents based on their permanent relationships with U.S. citizens in the same manner as heterosexual couples. ■

The Orange County Register reports a high school that recently made headlines over the nixing of the musical “Rent” is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union. The lawsuit against the Newport-Mesa Uniﬁed School District accuses Corona del Mar High School of permitting an atmosphere that is hostile to female and LGBT students. The lawsuit refers to a Facebook video in which three male students use gay slurs and threaten a female peer. Later, a fourth student threatened the girl on school grounds. The lawsuit calls the school’s investigation and response “inadequate.” Ultimately, two boys went unpunished and two were suspended for ﬁve days.

LGBT collection donated to university KansasCity.com reports Bruce McKinney, who collected over 35 years’ worth of magazines, pamphlets and underground newsletters on alternative lifestyles, has donated his collection to the Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Library ofﬁcials say the collection gives insight into the experiences of the gays in the Midwest. “It is one of the largest gifts of its kind we’ve ever received,” said Sherry Williams, the library’s curator. McKinney, of Wichita, chose the library because the town was the ﬁrst in Kansas to have a gay organization. ■ — Larry Nichols

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 8

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Gay-owned hotel offers rooms for $1 By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

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A buck will barely get you a pack of gum in today’s economy, but that’s all you need for a night in a local hotel. The gay-owned-and-operated Alexander Inn, at 12th and Spruce streets in the Gayborhood, recently launched a new promotion, the “Guest Stimulus Plan,” which enables guests to stay in several of the boutique hotel’s rooms for just a dollar and change. The hotel’s innkeeper, John Cochie, said the special was design to encourage tourists to spend their vacation savings on Philadelphia attractions. Cochie started considering the promotion after he attended a meeting of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association in late February that provided a bleak outlook for the city’s tourism situation. “With the economic trends, we were looking at some relatively dismal forecast numbers, and some of the general managers sitting next to me were singing the blues a little bit about being confronted with things like employee layoffs,” Cochie said. “I came back to the ofﬁce and started thinking about this clip of Barack Obama on CNN

recently where he said that we have to speak positively and have to build the foundation first.” Cochie said he brainstormed with Alexander Inn owner Mel Heifitz and decided upon the daring $1-anight special to grab the attention of tourists and encourage them to become repeat guests both at the hotel and in the city. “We sent out messages to some 12,000 previous guests at the hotel and then to a list of about 60-65 gay and straight media contacts,” Cochie said. “We went to the media because we were hopeful to get to people who’ve never been here before and introduce them to the inn and to the Center City area. We’re hopeful that the return on that investment is that these guests will return time after time when they come to the city.” The hotel is offering five of its 48 rooms — each of which has a full-, twin- or queen-sized bed — for $1.15 (including tax) SundaysThursdays through June 11. Rooms can be booked no longer than one month in advance. For instance, if you’re looking for a room for April 28, sales open up at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Although guests are welcome to stay for several nights, there is no minimum stay is required for the $1 rate.

The rooms up for grabs typically go for $119-$169. Cochie said he’s confident that the special will pay off for the hotel, “solidifying what is already a huge repeat-guest base.” The promotion already seems to be generating a great deal of buzz: In the first five days after the kick-off, the hotel’s Web site traffic shot up 274 percent, the number of reservations more than doubled and calls increased nearly 200 percent. “The response has just been phenomenal,” Cochie said. In addition to heightening the visibility of the Alexander Inn, Cochie said he’s eager for the promotion to provide the city’s tourism industry a much-needed monetary shot in the arm. “Our intention was to put the money these people would spend on a hotel back into their pockets so that they can spend it in the neighborhood, whether that’s for museum admission, theater tickets, dinners out, frequenting some of the night spots or at small businesses.” For more information, call (215) 923-3535 or (877) ALEX-INN or visit www.alexanderinn.com. ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

LGBT group moves S. Jersey ofﬁce By Jen Colletta PGN Staff Writer

Earlier this month, Garden State Equality, which is fighting for marriage equality in New Jersey, closed its Cherry Hill office and opened a larger location in nearby Collingswood. The organization had opened the doors to its Cherry Hill locale in February 2008. Steven Goldstein, Garden State Equality executive director, said although the new office is just a few miles from the previous location, it will enable the organization to more effectively reach out to South Jersey’s growing LGBT community. “Garden State Equality was one of the few statewide organizations in New Jersey to open up a South Jersey office at all, and our growth in South Jersey was so huge that we both needed a bigger office and one in the heart of where the LGBT population is,” Goldstein said. “By being in the most LGBT-populous community in South Jersey, we’re now taking advantage of the general population boom among

the LGBT community across all of South Jersey.” Goldstein noted that the organization’s South Jersey contingent has become as active as its headquarters in Montclair, in North Jersey, and accordingly needed a large-enough space to accommodate such events as volunteer-organizing and phonebank nights. Goldstein said the new office, located in the first floor of a downtown Collingswood building, has already received a good deal of foot traffic from passersby inquiring about the organization. Leslie Green, 25, will direct the office and will be joined by organizer Nick Halsted. Green, who is bisexual, moved to the Garden State to take up the new position after having lent her LGBT-advocacy skills to the No on 8 campaign in California, which worked to defeat Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that banned samesex marriage in the state, which voters passed in November. Green said she was drawn to the position because of what she

sees as the very real “prospect of winning” the fight for same-sex marriage in New Jersey. “It’s really exciting,” she said. “This is going to be the year in New Jersey, and hopefully in Maine too, that we’re going to get marriage for the LGBT community.” Green said she’s eager to expand the South Jersey volunteer base so that Garden State Equality can redouble its efforts to lobby lawmakers on same-sex marriage. Goldstein noted that several of the lawmakers whose votes will be integral to the passage of a marriage-equality bill in New Jersey are located in South Jersey, and that the new office will play a crucial role in securing favorable votes for such legislation. “Our growth in South Jersey dovetails nicely with our need to pay extra attention to South Jersey in that several key legislators in the marriage-equality battle are from South Jersey. So we’re very excited about the Collingswood office, and so far it’s been spectacular.” ■

MAR. 27 21 - APR. 2009 MARCH - 27,2,2008

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE159 PAGE

Penn welcomes LGBT Jewish students that the mayor of the Athens suburb of Kessariani has agreed to perform the ceremony. Colletta “I haveBy no Jen objection to celebrating PGN Staff this union so long Writer as the law is respected,” Mayor Spyros Tzokas The University of Pennsylvania said. will next weekend It play is host uncertain whether tothea conference to fuse the government that willseeks recognize the basic tenets of Judaism and LGBT marriage. life, as well as the government individuals who The Greek is identify communities. preparingwithtobothintroduce civilpartnership legislation later year, The National Union ofthis Jewish granting legal rights to LGBTQQI Students willunmarried hold its couples.conference But, it has at notPenn said April if sameannual 3sexthe couples would be included. has 5, ﬁrst time the organization

staged its event in Philadelphia. Vanessa “Vinny” Prell, the Gay menexecutive jailed in organization’s director, said the group, which was founded Morocco in 1997, evolved out of a growing need unity among individuals TheforMoroccan Association for who an organization Human“wanted Rights, along with Human that’s that cana Rightsalways Watch,around has and launched help build a community for LGBT petition following the imprisonment Jews.” of six men for homosexuality. “Before that arrested time, the LGBT Moroccan police men in November 2007 after a video Jewish students were starting to circulated showing come out on of the the Internet woodwork and a private partyaminI aKsar-el-Kbir, say, ‘Not only person who Morocco, that press claimed was identiﬁes as the Jewish, but I also a gay-marriage ceremony. identify as LGBT,’” Prell said. The country’s penaltogether code “Students started getting criminalizes sexual conduct between on their campuses and then slowly members same sex. Despite but surelyof itthebecame a national the fact that the video showed no movement.” evidence of sexual acts, the six men Prell noted that the ﬁrst annual were convicted of committing “lewd conference, held with in 1997, as well or unnatural acts an individual as the same organization’s events and of the sex” and sentenced to conferences the10 nextmonths 10 years, between fourover and in were prison.entirely student-run; Prell came as the executive director The onMoroccan Association for two years ago and helps facilitate the day-to-day operations of the group. Although NUJLS doesn’t have a formal membership process, Prell estimated the organization has about 200 involved students. Approximately 80 students have registered for the upcoming conference — 40 fewer than at last year’s conference at Columbia University. Prell suggested the decrease in attendance could be a result of the economic conditions, as some students may have struggled to pay the $80 registration fee. The registration fee covers housing, which will be on Penn’s campus, as well as food and admission to the series of workshops, lectures and activities. Workshop discussions will address such topics as how to integrate “traditional life-cycle activities” like weddings into an LGBT Jewish life and how to approach certain messages of the Bible from an LGBT perspective. Transgender author and artist Kate Bornstein will speak to participants about how she’s incorporated her own Jewish background into

Human Rights and Human Rights Watch are petitioning the Moroccan government for a fair trial for the her attendees men life, and and to protect theirwill rightalso to have the chance to participate in privacy. a The leadership well as groups training, are askingassupporters network withopposition other students during to show their to Moroccan aauthorities movie night and a dance. by sending an e-mail to Prell said there hasn’t been a petitionmaroc@hrw.org.

major shift in the conference’s focus since the organization’s Cartoons draw inception, although she noted the event is now more inclusive Russian ire of transgender individuals and features discussions that cater to a Protestant groups in Moscow more-informed audience. are trying to shut down a cartoon “I think there have been channel because they claim it some changes, partially because promotes homosexuality and students are coming religious intolerance. out younger and younger, we’re Western able to Channel 2x2 so broadcasts offer more and more sophisticated cartoons like “South Park,” which workshops,” she said. “In the some believe promotes “homosexual beginning, propaganda.”we had workshops like ‘Leviticus: does the Vitaly Vlasenki,How a spokesperson prohibition on homosexuality for The Consultative Council of the Heads Protestant Churches affect your of life?’ and we’d look at in Russia, said the group had sent the text from different perspectives. a letter to aProsecutor General Yury But now, good number of these Chaika oncome March the students to 12 theaccusing conference network having of promoting “cruelty, already wrestled with that violence, propaganda, issue and homosexual made their peace. Now religious hatredmore and intolerance.” we can have sophisticated Yekaterina Doglosheveva, head discussions around life-cycle of corporate affairs for Prof-Media, rituals and around prayer.” dismissed the criticism from the Matt Feczko, a junior at Penn religious group. and co-chair of both Queer “The Federal Culture and Undergraduates in Engineering, Cinematography Agency may be Science and Technology and Jewish able to control the activities of our Bisexuals, Gays & Lesbians, channel, but the Protestants cannot,” approached Prell during last year’s Doglosheveva said. event and suggested Channel 2x2, Penn whichas a host also school for the 2009Simpsons,” conference.has broadcasts “The “I went to the conference last year and I just really loved it,” Feczko said. “I thought the people had great stories, and this conference was something I wanted to be a part of and contribute to because this is something that I’m really

built a cult following in Russia despite gaining just 1.9 percent of the audience share in February. passionate about.” MTV in Russia also Feczko said the administration shows “South Park,” but has yet at Penn has been particularly to receive any criticism from the supportivegroup. throughout the planning Protestant

process. He noted that Hillel, the group Trans that overseesmeeting all of Penn’s Jewish student organizations, assisted in set for Berlin securing meeting rooms for the NUJLS events and that the school It was announced Marchcleaning 14 that rescheduled its planned the second meeting of the European and preparation of certain campus Transgender Council will be held locations for Passover events next this year in Germany. week so they wouldn’tcomprised interfere The council, with the conference. of Transgender Europe, the Feczko said he’s Berlin eager and for Transgender Network NUJLS conference attendees to TransInterQueer Berlin, will meet meet members of Penn’s wider May 2-4 in Berlin. Their last event Jewish community was heldstudent in Vienna in 2005. during Shabbat servicesfrom throughout the Representatives international weekend. activist groups and experts such as “People are Watch going and to be going Human Rights Amnesty International are expected to services, and there willtobeattend 100 the event at and share their experiences students the conference walking eld of all human rights and in the  around campus day; I’m hoping transgender-related work. between for some good interaction The results of and the Study of the people at Penn the students Lives of Transgender people In attending this program.” Europe, conducted by Press the for Prell said she’s conﬁdent Change (U.K.), event will have will just beas revealed, positive which polled more than 2,000 of an effect on this generation of transgender people. LGBT Jewish students as it did for Berlin has a diverse transgender her. scene, and Wigstoeckel Transgender “When I got college,theI city felt United is set to to organize like there was no place for me in council’s ofcial show and party for Judaism,” the event. �Prell said. “But when I learned about NUJLS and attended the conference, I really found ata Larry Nichols can be reached community that was dynamic and larry@epgn.com. learned and committed to building connections between these people. And for me, that made my Judaism whole again.” ■ Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.

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High Quality Dental Treatment Cosmetic Dentistry Veneers Crowns Whitening Implants BACK TO THE ’80s: The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus took the stage with energy and enthusiasm during the opening number of the first night of its recent “That ’80s Show” concert March 20. The three productions of the concert series, the second of the PGMC’s 2008-09 season, featured performances by more than 15 solo vocalists and the dozens of choral singers, who tackled popular ’80s movie and television themes and classic ’80s songs by such artists as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Kool and the Gang and Wham! Photo: Scott A. Drake

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Editorial Back to DOMA Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank continually lives up to his name — Frank. The Democratic legislator from Massachusetts and head of the Committee on Financial Services is presently in the thick of the Congressional response to the economic crisis. But earlier this month, he took the time to do an interview with CBS News and 365gay News, and responded to questions regarding several issues affecting LGBT people, and if they might be addressed now that a new administration is in The White House. And in his response, he called Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia a homophobe. In fact, his quote was, “I wouldn’t want it to go to the United States Supreme Court now because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has too many votes on this current court.” Frank was referring to the issue of samesex marriages and an eventual Supreme Court consideration of the Constitutional issues involved specifically with the Defense of Marriage Act. Frank later defended his characterization of Scalia, citing opinions where the justice stated gay people were a “threat to society” and is “angry about the existence of gay people.” You gotta love Frank. Recently, the Office of Personnel Management (whose designate director, waiting for confirmation, is openly gay) had instructed insurers not to provide benefits to same-sex partners of court employees after federal judges ruled they were entitled to them. OPM cited DOMA as the reason for the instruction: Because the law forbids same-sex marriage, the agency asserts it bars benefits as well. Frank’s assertion that there are good arguments against the constitutionality of the federal government’s right to pick which marriages it will defend is on target. Why should the government — state or federal — care who gets married? (And really, same-sex marriage is a revenue stream that would benefit near-bankrupt municipalities and businesses everywhere.) Or consider this: If a state wanted to (again) bar interracial couples from getting married, would everyone say that is the state’s right, or would they say the federal government needs to step in? Traditional marriage — one man, one woman — assures the transfer of property to one’s offspring, historically and currently. Marriage as we know it also offers 1,000 other benefits that society has slowly added in over time — visitation rights, tax breaks, power of attorney. As to the institution itself, there are the arguments about how traditional marriage assures the stability of society. But just because it is the dominant social construct in our recent history doesn’t mean that it is the only one that will work, or that is feasible. Or just. ■

Tell us what you think Send letters and opinion column submissions to: pgn@epgn.com; PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147; fax: (215) 925-6437. Please include a daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, style and space considerations.

Glenn Lash (glennlash@yahoo.com)

Other Views

Jennifer Vanasco

Making fun of the haters University of Chicago students recently showed us how protests against hate should be done. When the Westboro Baptist Church — the cult-like organization led by Fred Phelps — trooped to campus to declare Obama the antiChrist (he taught at the law school), they were carrying their usual array of hateful signs. These, of course, included the slogan that seems to be their favorite: “God Hates Fags.” Now, there’s no arguing with Fred Phelps or his family. People have tried various tactics — yelling back; talking respectfully; being aggressively friendly and saying things like, “God loves me, but God bless you!”; singing songs like “We Shall Overcome”; and, one of my favorites, standing in front of them with giant angel wings so that no one can see their posturing. When the Westboro Church came to Harvard, for example, signs said, “Cambridge Pride” and “Jesus loves me, this I know — for God made me so.” But Chicago students tried something else. Making fun of the Phelpses. When the Phelps family arrived, they were greeted with a party. Students roasted ’smores. There were dance and music performances. Best of all, students carried their own signs. But instead of saying things

like, “We’re Here, We’re Queer” or “No More Hate,” they poked smart fun. “God Hates Figs,” some posters and handouts said (and they included Biblical references to prove their point); “God hates the new Facebook,” said another. This is very U of C. I worked at the university for years, and I was always struck by their wry approach to fun. Other colleges have drunken galas; Chicago has a scavenger hunt that includes math problems and classical references. When I heard about the Chicago protest, I was very proud. Especially since Chicago is not Berkeley. It is one of America’s more conservative universities, even among the undergraduate population. Mocking hate has a long history in the gay community. Camp, drag queens, the radical cheerleaders and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are all ways we have fought against oppression using sly humor. What makes this new is that it wasn’t just gay and lesbian students who were protesting — it was the entire campus. It was straight students. Better, it included straight fraternity boys. One frat hung a banner declaring “Straight Huggin” — and half-naked men danced outside to the song “I’m Coming Out.”

The message: People who hate gays are ridiculous. Chicago was shaming the Phelps family. And this marks a sea change. It used to be that gays and lesbians were shamed for being homosexual. Now, straight people who actively and loudly detest gays and lesbians are being shamed as being narrowminded and socially inappropriate. We saw this with the backlash over the Proposition 8 vote, when there were boycotts against businesses that had given money to the campaign to ban gay marriage. It was interesting that we didn’t hear boycotts against those who supported gay marriage. This new shaming of the antigay right doesn’t mean that we will get everything we want. It will still be a fight to overturn the gay military ban. It will be a fight to allow gay men to give blood and to keep employers from firing employees because they are gay — and, most of all, it will be a fight to get the next state to give gay marriage a chance. But it’s one more sign of profound cultural change. And we can thank the University of Chicago for that. ■ Jennifer Vanasco is an awardwinning syndicated columnist. Email her at Jennifer.vanasco@gmail. com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Mark My Words

Mark Segal

Buy Gay in the Gayborhood Since my last column on buying gay in the Gayborhood, we’ve dined at Bump, Vilanni, Venture Inn and More Than Just Ice Cream. We’ve planned a romantic dinner at Tavern on Camac for later this week, and realized the wealth of restaurants we have in our Gayborhood. If dining out in the Gayborhood is full of such choices, imagine other areas. After dinner, you can have a nightcap or dance the night away at a host of clubs from 12th Air, Woody’s, The Bike Stop or Pure. Had a little too much to drink? Spend the night in one of the gay-friendly hotels or bed-and-breakfasts and wake up and have brunch at Mixto or El Vez, then maybe a nice workout at 12th Street Gym. Do a little shopping along 13th Street. Check out the newest trends at South Moon Under or PHAG, ﬁnd some artwork for the walls at Absolute Abstract. Or even go furniture shopping at Bo Concept (OK, so it’s a little outside of the ’hood) or head to Ettoré Spa and Salon for some pampering or get your hair cut at Cut. Then pick up a book at Giovanni’s Room for an evening of reading. Of course, these are only a few of the numerous businesses you or I could support. Buying gay in the Gayborhood is a way for all of us to help ourselves and others in our very own community. Other communities have always known that in times of economic crisis, you spend in your own neck of the woods. At this time of crisis, we need to help our own gay or gay-friendly businesses

in our community. A dinner for four might keep a server employed, while a sofa might keep a salesperson on the floor. A night out dancing might keep a bartender employed. Spend that money in, say, Germantown or Chestnut Hill and you’ll be helping their economy, not ours. Charity or, in this case, the financial well being of your community is up to you. No one expects you to spend each and every dollar in our community. Just make that extra effort. ... Now on to two simple points of political interest. First, the city budget. While we do not pretend to understand the woes the city is encountering, we might suggest a way for the city to bring in a few more dollars. Stop this merry-go-round with the Boy Scouts and toss them the hell out of their city property. The city can then lease that building for a fair-market rate at over a quarter-million a year. Or sell that prime real estate for tens of millions. The fight for equal rights for the LGBT community is now underway with H.B. 300. The legislation is very simple: It adds the words “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression” to the groups that you cannot discriminate against in housing, employment and public accommodations. For the first time since similar legislation was introduced in 1975, it has a chance of passing, but only if the Democratic legislative leadership and the governor give it their full backing. More on this later. ■ Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.

PAGE 11

Street Talk Should people take condom advice from the pope?

Estevan Dominguez student Northeast Philadelphia

Sebastian Hagan lifeguard Newtown

“No, I wouldn’t recommend going to the pope for that kind of advice. He’ll take the religious viewpoint, which doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with protecting someone’s health. It’s true that condoms can fail, but usually they don’t. People should use them.”

“No, the pope is too focused on procreation. Sex is about intimacy, communication and showing your love. It’s deeper than, ‘Let’s have a baby.’ But the pope wants a larger flock. The more people he can have under his belt, the more power he has.”

Katherine Kolenda sales associate Newtown

Ryan Treitel photographer and custodian West Philadelphia

“No. I’m not a fan of this pope whatsoever. He wears red Prada shoes, yet he’s supposed to stand for the poor. He’s hypocritical. He should keep his religious views to himself. He’s misleading young people into thinking condoms are bad when they’re life-saving.”

“No. He’s totally out of touch. Condoms are very important. I don’t give the pope credit for anything. I go to a doctor for health advice, not the pope.”

Letters and Feedback Regarding “Convicted killer speaks out,” March 20-26 I was a character witness for Bill [Smithson]. I am a gay man and also a good Christian. I sat at that trial and I was appalled by what I witnessed: The trial was a mixture of homophobia and unsubstantiated speculations by the DA. It was clear that the homophobic undertones were geared to inﬂuence the jury in the worst way. Gay and “monster” were used in the same sentence. I am not one to write this lightly: My partner and I felt abused. This is the 21st century; this was supposed to be about the truth, about material evidence. I thought there was a difference between speculation and facts. In that trial, to know about Bill’s sexual orientation was more important than to know about the role Bruce Covington played.

I think Bill was found guilty because it ﬁt the prejudice. — Eduardo It’s great to ﬁnally see an article about this case that is not written with the bias that other media outlets have shown. Thank you, PGN. There are so many elements in this case that affect our community in such a negative way. I am glad you have the compassion to print the facts in a way that may possibly help people to understand the path that destructive vices in our community can lead to. There are many lessons to be learned in this case which may help us to become stronger as community, if approached in a positive way. I am thankful to see a paper like yours take an interest in this story. Even if it helps one gay person realize the dangers involved in situations that led to the death

of Mr. Shephard, then you have certainly done your job. I also hope that the article will help Mr. Smithson overcome the injustices that our court system still obviously displays when dealing with cases that involve homosexuality. — Robn PGN, I would like to thank you for printing this article; it is about time a real news-media organization did something. The local papers here were a complete joke: One day they question the evidence and the next they side with the prosecution. I’ll tell you the real reason no one wants to comment: It is because Smithson didn’t get a fair trial. I was there every day: They convicted Smithson because he was gay. I mean, come on people, get See FEEDBACK, Page 15

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Work It Out

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Jared Carter

Don’t forget your recovery Have you gotten sick lately? Are you still making progress with your ﬁtness routine? Both of these problems can be affected by one thing: not getting the proper amount of rest. Rest is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of any health and ﬁtness program. Most people are content to get about six hours of sleep each night and then wonder why they are always getting colds or never getting better in their exercises. After you read this column, you will have a much greater understanding of the role that rest plays in your health and be able to make some immediate changes. It seems like common sense to most of us: Work hard all day and rest all night. Unfortunately, we do not follow this advice. Thanks to the vast array of television shows, nightclubs with great music and late-night diners, many of us do not get anywhere near the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. While this doesn’t matter if it’s only every now and then, if it’s chronic, it can cause problems. When we sleep, our bodies are able to heal and recover from the stresses we put them through. Naturally, if we are not allowing adequate recovery time, things will begin to break down. Lately there have been a lot of colds going around. While getting

a cold may not result directly from a lack of sleep, it definitely plays a role. When you don’t allow your body to recover fully, your immune system is one of the first areas affected. It becomes weaker and has trouble fighting off germs. This can easily lead to catching a cold or getting the flu. I was reminded of this last weekend. I felt a little funny in the beginning of the day and by mid-afternoon I had a mild fever. I was not extremely sick, but I felt miserable. Over the previous week I had not been getting enough sleep and it caught up to me. I normally have a very good immune system, but it could not fight this bug off. So how do you fight off a cold after you get it? The same way you try to prevent it: Get plenty of rest. I must have slept 12 hours that night. When I woke up, I felt fine. It’s easy to see how rest plays a role in our immune system, but many people ignore it when it comes to exercise. This is unfortunate, because getting the proper amount of rest can be the difference between becoming frustrated from a lack of results and continuing to reach new goals. It doesn’t matter if you are doing primarily aerobic exercise or strength training; rest and recovery should receive lots of attention. Whenever we exercise, we are placing a great amount of stress on various systems within our bodies. This stress causes adaptations to occur that make us stronger, faster or more efficient. However, these changes don’t occur while we are exercising; they happen while we

recover. In other words, you will not get stronger at the gym. You get stronger by working hard at the gym and then going home and getting a proper amount of sleep. The main problem most people face related to rest and exercise is overtraining. This is simply when you exercise too much and do not allow the body to recover between training sessions. Symptoms of this include general fatigue, lack of motivation, decreased performance and elevated resting heart rate. Overtraining is commonly thought of as a “plateau,” and many people train more to try and break out of it. This will ultimately lead to decreased performance and destruction of muscle mass. If you think you have been overtraining, there are two ways to solve the problem: Get more rest or cut back on your training. Allowing your body to recover fully is vitally important. It allows you to stay in your best health and reach your training potential. While it’s easy to let ourselves stay up too late, we should try to build in more “down time.” This can be a short nap, a 15-minute break for meditation or just going to bed 30 minutes earlier. If you are not getting enough rest, try some of these for a week. I bet you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel. ■ Jared Carter, CSCS, is the owner of Move Forward Fitness Personal Training Studio, 1616 Walnut St. Visit www. moveforwardﬁtness.com or reach him at (215) 399-3541.

RESEARCH STUDY

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

On Being Well

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 13

Fi r st Ba p t i st C h u r c h

Robert Winn, M.D.

SERVICES: Wednesdays Noontime Sundays 11a.m.

STDs: Starting The Discourse April marks STD Awareness Month. If you didn’t know, you’re not alone. Despite the fact that more than half of all Americans will contract a sexually transmitted disease sometime in their lifetime, we are strangely reluctant to talk about it. So ﬁrst, let’s be clear about what we’re talking about. An STD (interchangeably referred to as an STI, or sexually transmitted infection) is any disease or infection passed from one person to another through sexual contact, such as vaginal, oral or anal sex. A few types of STDs, such as scabies and crabs, can be passed through close (skinto-skin) contact or even prolonged exposure to infested bed linens, but for the most part, these types of infections are transmitted through sexual contact. Among some of the most common STDs are human papilloma virus (HPV), chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, viral hepatitis, human immunodeﬁciency virus (HIV) and syphilis. Due to the large variety of STDs and space constraints, it simply is not feasible to list all the symptoms of all the many varieties of STDs here. Rashes, blisters, itching and redness in the genital areas can often be signs of infection but, depending on the particular disease, may appear early on and then go away, even though the infection itself has not resolved. In fact, oftentimes no obvious symptoms develop and many people who contract STDs are unaware that they, or their partners, are at risk. Bacterial STDs can often be cured with antibiotics, but often go undetected in the early stages. Chlamydia, which is bacterial in origin, has no symptoms in 75 percent of cases among women and 25 percent of men. In part because of this, chlamydia claims the dubious distinction of being the most commonly reportedly STD. Left undetected, this

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disease can spread and cause Pelvic Inﬂammatory Disease (PID) in women, which if gone untreated, can lead to chronic pain and infertility. Annual testing is recommended, especially for sexually active women under age 25. Syphilis is another curable STD, treated with antibiotics (usually penicillin). But again, left untreated, the disease will progress with increasingly serious symptoms. In the early stages of this disease, symptoms (such as a single raised, painless sore on or near the genitals, anus or the mouth; or later, a rash on the hands, feet or body or patchy hair loss) may appear, but then disappear after a few weeks. This does not mean the infection has gone away. Often, there are no symptoms at all, so if you (or your partner) are sexually active with more than one partner, you should be tested regularly. Syphilis is especially prevalent in Philadelphia (and other urban areas) among gay, bi and other men who have sex with men (MSM). This disease has much more serious implications if not detected until the later stages. If you are having sex with a man who has sex with other men, you should get tested every six months for syphilis. Gonorrhea, like syphilis, is also a curable bacterial infection that can be easily treated with antibiotics. But again, if left untreated, complications such as PID or infertility can arise and are often irreversible. Some STDs are viral in origin and, as such, may not be “curable.” However, they are treatable and, in nearly every case, preventable. Viral hepatitis is a disease that affects the liver and is caused by a group of viruses. Of the ﬁve major types, Hep A and B are the most common, and are most closely associated with sexual activity (though not exclusively). The good news is that they are completely preventable through a series of vaccinations. Currently there is no vaccine for Hep C (a virus spread mostly through blood contact), although trial vaccine studies are underway. Herpes is another common

viral STD. Fifty to 80 percent of Americans have oral herpes (commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters), while genital herpes affects about one in five Americans. While both types of herpes are generally not dangerous, they can be uncomfortable. Genital herpes, in particular, can also raise certain emotional issues associated with social stigma. But understanding it for what it is — a common, manageable virus — is the first step in overcoming any feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy. Perhaps the most serious, and dreaded, of viral STDs is human immunodeficiency virus. HIV, of course, is the virus that causes AIDS, and the implications of this disease are well-documented. For the purposes of this discussion, however, let it suffice to say that, like the other diseases mentioned above, HIV is not curable, but it is treatable. But certainly, as is true of all STDs, HIV is highly preventable. Abstinence from sex or being in a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who is also free from STDs is the surest way to avoid becoming infected yourself. Barring that, condoms are still the only widely available, proven method for reducing transmission of HIV and other STDs. Health organizations around the world recommend condom use for the prevention of HIV and STDs. If sexual intercourse can be said to be at the center of most of these types of infections, then another form of social intercourse — human conversation — can certainly play an important role in reversing their spread. Let STD Awareness Month be the impetus to have the conversation with your sexual partner(s). It may be uncomfortable, but it is certainly less so than the alternatives. ■ Dr. Robert Winn is the medical director at Mazzoni Center, the region’s only LGBT-specific health center. Mazzoni Center offers rapid HIV testing and STD screening that is confidential. Make an appointment or see your own healthcare provider and GET TESTED.

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Friday, March 27: Synaplex at Rodeph Shalom: 5:45 PM, Pre-Oneg; 6:15 PM, Shabbat Service; 7:15--8:00 PM, choose from one of the following options: More Than Matzah: Passover Cooking with Lynn Buono of “Feast Your Eyes Catering”; or Israel Teen Trip Slide Show with Rabbi Holzman; 8:00--9:30 PM, Dinner. Reservations are needed for dinner: $25/adult; $10/child. Please RSVP to Catherine Fischer at 215-627-6747 x46 or cﬁscher@rodephshalom.org. Saturday, April 11: Passover Cafe, 6:30 PM. Join us for a meal of traditional Passover foods, followed by the reading of some Passover-related stories. Share your own joyful and entertaining Passover memories. $15/person, payable at the door. Please reserve by April 7, 2009 by calling the BA phone, (215)923-2003. Friday, May 1: Equality Forum Shabbat Service, 8:00 PM. Guest speaker Malcolm Lazin.

Beth Ahavah and Rodeph Shalom are afﬁliated in spirit and share a sacred home.. In July 2007 Beth Ahavah afﬁliated with Rodeph Shalom. Beth Ahavah retains its congregational status within the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and proudly offers its congregation dual membership at both synagogues. Visit www.bethahavah.org for additional information, programming and directions

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 14

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

30 years ago in PGN Candidates attend LGBT forum Four of the leading Democratic mayoral candidates attended a political forum sponsored by PGN to discuss their positions on LGBT issues with the community. Mayoral hopefuls William Green, Charles Bowser, William Klenk and Albert Gaudiosi took turns addressing LGBT and ally supporters at the Ethical Society, marking the ﬁrst time that all major mayoral candidates in any city attended an LGBT forum together. All four pledged support for a comprehensive gay-rights bill under his administration, although Gaudiosi said he wouldn’t “push” for such legislation and Bowser

stressed he’d prefer to wait until the state’s sodomy law had been repealed. The candidates all criticized the sodomy law, and Green said he would attempt to stem the tide of “unwarranted harassment of gays” by appointing a police commissioner who “will not stop and question people simply for frequenting known gay areas.” Green was eventually elected mayor.

Brown issues gay-rights order The then-governor of California Jerry Brown, who now serves as the state’s attorney general and has expressed opposition to Proposition 8, issued an

executive order April 4 banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment. “Government must not single out sexual minorities for harassment or recognize sexual orientation as a basis for discrimination,” Brown said. Brown was the second governor in the country to take such action; former Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp issued a similar order in 1976. While Brown’s mandate prohibited discrimination in departments, commissions and boards of the executive branch of the state government, Shapp’s also extended to private contractors, housing and delivery of services. Openly gay California Assemblyman Art Agnos called the order a “small step.”

Police abuse investigated The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a hearing in Philadelphia April 16-17 to collect testimony in its investigation of alleged police abuse in the city, some of which centered on LGBT individuals. The commission, which was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, also conducted a hearing in Houston — as both cities had reported high levels of civil-rights complaints against their police forces — as part of a police-policy study. During the hearing, PGN publisher Mark Segal testiﬁed about a raid on a gay bathhouse, verbal and physical police harassment of

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patrons outside gay businesses and incidents of officers taking down license-plate numbers in predominantly gay areas. Ian Lennox, executive vice president of the Citizens’ Crime Commission, told the panel, however, that his agency had not received any formal complaints from members of the LGBT community. Pennsylvania Advisory Council of the commission also heard testimony from Spencer Coxe, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and LGBT activists Barbara Gittings and Tony Silvestre. “We testified mainly about the harassment of lesbians and gay men, and their lack of services within the administration of justice,” Silvestre said. “We told them that the police are often reluctant to deal with complaints of gay people. For instance, gays who are abused by hustlers are afraid to go to the police because they don’t think they’ll get the same services other people would get.” The commission was expected to issue a final report to Congress and the president in November. ■ — Jen Colletta

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

MARRIAGE From Page 1 civil union, he said. Semantically, Campbell argued that if there were no difference, opponents of same-sex marriage would not be so vehement that the term marriage should apply only to heterosexual unions. “Children should be able to say to their friends that their parents are married, and not have to explain what a civil union is,” he added. The bill would exempt members of the clergy from performing same-sex marriages if their faiths forbid such unions, and would bar lawsuits prompted by such refusals. The exemption would not extend to justices of the peace and

POET From Page 5 Lambda Poetry Slam, the 1998 and 2000 Slam This! competitions and the 1999 Chicago People of Color Slam and was a ﬁnalist in the 1999 Nuyorican Grand Slam and the 1999 Outright Poetry Slam. Chin compiled her poems into several books and has also been featured in numerous poetry anthologies. In 2002, she fused her passion for the written word with her talent for spoken word, coauthoring and performing in the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam,” based on the HBO show of the same name. Chin said she’s also performed in Jamaica and, while she was

FEEDBACK From Page 11 over this gay thing. Who cares if you’re gay? Live an honest life, live and love. As you may have guessed, I know Bill and even though I didn’t know he was gay, that would not have changed one thing about how I feel about this man. He is kind and gentle; he could never do any of the things he was convicted of. This will go to a higher court and, based upon the Swiss cheese of evidence, no higher court would convict. The DA screwed up and they know it. — bella89 I cannot believe that your paper would write the lies spilled by this convicted murderer’s mouth. As a gay man who followed the trial, I am sad that you would make a killer a martyr because he is gay. Bill was always a liar and apparently has gotten good enough to fool your readers here.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

other public officials who perform gay marriage in the state, and civil marriages but who might condemnation from a leader of object to officiating at same-sex the opposing Marriage Advisory unions. Those people are agents of Council. “The committee was attentive the government and are barred by law from discriminating based on throughout the week. They heard sexual orientation, Campbell said. a wide range of witnesses on a Vermont in 2000 became the first wide range of issues, and I think, state in the country to pass a civil- ultimately, they did the right thing,” unions law, which grants many said Beth Robinson, a Middlebury of the rights and responsibilities lawyer and chairperson of the of marriage to same-sex couples. Freedom to Marry Task Force. But gay-marriage advocates have Stephen Cable, president of PAGE 20 argued since then that the law does the group Vermont Renewal, an not go far enough. California, New organization that opposes sameJersey and New Hampshire also sex marriage, said the civil-unions permit civil unions. law and the possible passage of the PSYCHIATRY LGBT COMMUNITY The committee’s action last FOR gay-marriage bill shows the state PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY week drew praise from a leader “no longer seeks to promote that ANDFreedom PSYCH0THERAPY of the Vermont to each child have a mother and a DEPRESSION, HIV, Marry Task Force, one of ANXIETY, the father. And I think that’s shameful CHRONIC PAIN and very sad.” ■ leading organizations supporting

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has experienced a lot of adversity hesitant to sayAND theMONTGOMERY environment COUNTY for LGBT people in that country EVENING HOURS throughout her life, she’s always count on the support has improved since she left, she been able to (215) AVAILABLE 740-4311 acknowledged that the Jamaican of the LGBT community. “Our past makes us who we are culture has at least become more and I was absolutely a child who’d aware of the LGBT community. “I’ve had people [at shows gone through so much. Everything in Jamaica] give me a standing I am is formed, not always in a ovation, people walk out, people healthy way, by those challenges threaten to kill me from the and how I dealt with them and audience and shout nasty things to the scars I took away from them,” me and I’ve had complete silence,” she said. “The LGBT community she said. “But this conversation is has stood by me in a way that the community being had in a public space and a African-American public forum, so it’s becoming less hasn’t or the white, straight difﬁcult to begin it. People can’t community hasn’t. The LGBT claim to not know what a lesbian community still keeps inviting or a gay person is anymore. They me and has been remarkable in know what it is and so at least supporting me as an artist.” ■ now there’s a point to begin the disagreement.” Jen Colletta can be reached at Located Near Rittenhouse Square Chin noted that although General she jen@epgn.com. & Aesthetic Dentistry Now Accepting New Patients Actually, most of these responses is dead at his home — Available and he Early Morning Appointments are from a select few and who 248 South takes responsibility for That 21st St., Phila, PAthat. 19103 have copied and pasted from other is great! How honest! Sure, he 215.732.3350 lied and covered up then, but papers they have written to. There www.yourphillydentist.com was a full investigation (as he only because he was scared, said he wants) and he was found so everything else he says is guilty — not because he was of course the truth!? Come on, Anthony Petchalonis, D.M.DJason Featuring everyone — this hasWhitening nothing to gay, but because he killed One Hour Teeth [Shephard]. He was portrayed as a do with Bill being judged unfairly monster because he is a monster. because he was gay. He was judged as a liar and murderer and He takes responsibility for ﬁling any of his character witnesses a missing-persons’ report — and were judged the same. ■ even taking Jason’s parents to look for him all the while Jason — This is sick

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Christian education program will be held from 6-10 p.m. at the William Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for Way Community Center. the BDSM, leather and alternative � Peer counseling services will sexuality community, will be be available from 6-9 p.m. at the held from 7:30-9 p.m. in South William Way Community Center; Philadelphia. For location, call (215) 732-8255. (800) 581-7883. � Men of Color United, a discussion/ � The Women’s Programming support group for gay and bisexual Committee will meet at 7:30 p.m. men of color, will meet from 6:30at the William Way Community 8:30 p.m. at 1201 Chestnut St., 15th Center. oor; (215) 496-0330. � Youth in Transition, a support � Sistah2Sistah, a discussion/ group for transgender and support group for sexual-minority questioning youth ages 12-23, will women of color ages 16-24, will meet from 7:30-9 p.m. at The Attic meet from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 1201 Youth Center. Chestnut St., 15th oor; (215) 4960330. Wednesday, Jan. 9 � You’re Not Alone, a support � A support group for HIV-positive OVE group ORWARD for lesbian, ITNESS gay, bisexual, women will meet from 9:30-11:30 transgender and questioning youth, Center City’s Newest a.m. at the Arch Street United will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Personal Training Studio Methodist Church, Broad and Arch Rehoboth Library, 226 Rehoboth streets; (215) 387-6055. Ave., Rehoboth, Del.; (800) 810� The Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS 6776. Education Initiative will offer free, TODAY! CALL 215-399-3541 � Pink and •Blues, a free depression on-site walk-in HIV testing from and bipolar support group for sexual MoveForwardFitness.com 3-6 p.m. at 1233 Locust St.; (215) minorities, will meet at 7 p.m. at St. 985-3382. Luke and The Epiphany Church, � The library and reading room will 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 627-0424. be open from 3-9 p.m. at the William � Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Way Community Center. will rehearse at 7 p.m. at the William � Project Teach, a peer-education Way Community Center; (215) 731and empowerment program for 9230. people living with HIV/AIDS, will � The Temple University Lambda meet from 3-5 p.m. at the William Alliance will meet from 7-8 p.m. Way Community Center. at The Village outside the Lambda � A smoking-cessation support group ofce, SAC 205, 1755 N. 13th St.; for sexual minorities, conducted by (215) 204-6954. the Mazzoni Center, will meet at � The Trenton Gay and Lesbian 5:30 p.m. at the Washington West Civic Association’s card and games Project, 1201 Locust St.; (215) 563- night will be held from 7-10 p.m. 0663 ext. 242. at 986 S. Broad St., Trenton, N.J.; � AIDS Services in Asian (609) 638-7264. Communities’ weekly volunteer � The Women’s Center of work group will meet from 6-8 p.m. Montgomery County’s lesbian at 1201 Chestnut St., Suite 501; support group will meet from 7(215) 563-2424 ext. 10. 9 p.m. at 101 Washington Lane, � Coming Out, a support group for Jenkintown; (215) 885-8440. gay, bisexual or questioning men, � A men’s coming-out group will will meet from 6-7:30 p.m. at AIDS meet at 7:30 p.m. at The Pride Delaware, Suite 315, 100 W. 10th Center of New Jersey. St., Wilmington; (800) 292-0429. � Survivors of Suicide Inc. Chester � A gay-friendly Scrabble Club will County, a support group, will meet meet from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. at 7:30 p.m. at Paoli Memorial Building, 42nd and Locust streets; Hospital, Willistown Room, (215) 382-0789. Medical Ofce Building, Lancaster � The LGBT Discussion Group will Pike, Paoli; (215) 545-2242; Web meet from 6-8 p.m. at the United site: phillysostripod.com. Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., � Under the Rainbow, a discussion Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429. and social group for 18-25-year-old � A meeting/activity night will gays and lesbians, will meet at 7:30 be held for gay, lesbian, bisexual, p.m. at The Pride Center of New transgender and questioning youth Jersey. and their friends from 6-8 p.m. � The Gay Married Men’s

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

International News Life sentence in antigay slaying A 20-year-old Liverpool man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an 18-year-old gay man who was brutally beaten and left in the street to die. James O’Connor was 19 when he beat and kicked Michael Causer to death after a party on July 25, 2008. He was one of three men charged in the killing. O’Connor pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors that took a hate-crime charge off the table. His co-defendant, Michael Binsteed, 19, pleaded guilty to perverting the cause of justice and was given 34 weeks in custody that was suspended for two years. A jury absolved the third suspect, Gavin Alker, 19, who had been charged with murder but pleaded not guilty, last month. Causer was part of a group that had met during a night out at a local pub. After heavy drinking, the group went to the home of one of the men’s grandmother to “sleep it off.” During Alker’s trial, the prosecution alleged that Alker discovered from one of the other men that Causer was gay. Prosecutor Richard Pratt told the jury that Alker initiated the assault. At the same trial, Alker blamed O’Connor for the murder. After the assault, as Causer lay unconscious, Alker, Binsteed and O’Connor decided to dump Causer on a street. They moved Causer over a fence and dragged him to the road. Paramedics found Causer barely breathing and suffering massive brain injuries. He died eight days later when doctors declared him brain dead and a ventilator was removed. With good behavior, O’Connor could be out of prison in about 11 years. “This is another black day for Michael,” Causer’s parents, Marie and Michael Causer, said outside court. “It’s just pathetic.” Tommy McIlravey, of Liverpool’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Network, commended Liverpool police for their part in the investigation, but said the judiciary has failed. “The law has failed because no one has been convicted of a hate crime,” he said. “It’s second-class

PAGE 17

Larry Nichols

justice and it seems to happen all the time. It begs the question: What do you have to do for it to be a homophobic attack?”

Trans man pregnant with twins A Spanish man who was born female is claiming he is pregnant with twins after a course of fertility treatment. Ruben Noe Coronado, 25, plans to bring up the babies with his partner, Esperanza Ruiz, 43. The couple hope to marry before the babies arrive in September. Coronado interrupted his gender-reassignment treatment in order to become pregnant. “I’ve gone public with this so people start to see a transsexual pregnancy as normal,” he said. “But I am thinking of selling the picture everyone’s going to want of me looking pregnant. If I don’t do it, someone else will and they’ll make a fortune.” However, he vowed not to sell photographs of his children, claiming he wanted to protect them. Last July, Thomas Beatie became the ﬁrst trans man to give birth. Born Tracey Lagondino, he had been legally living as a man since age 24 but had kept his female reproductive organs. His wife of ﬁve years, Nancy, was unable to conceive. The couple is expecting a sibling for their baby girl this summer.

Australia to blacklist gay sites Several gay Web sites have been included in a recently drawn-up list of Web sites banned by the Australian government. The government is proposing a law that requires Internet service providers to ﬁlter and block inappropriate content, such as that related to terrorism and abusive images of children. However, gay and straight porn sites, YouTube links and certain Wikipedia entries have been included in its scope of Web sites to be blacklisted. The blacklist of about 2,395 banned sites was obtained by Wikileaks, a Web site that allows See INTERNATIONAL, Page 18

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INTERNATIONAL From Page 17 anonymous whistleblowers to leak ofﬁcial documents. Wikileaks plans to publish the list on its Web site, having previously revealed the blacklists from Denmark, Norway and Thailand. The Sydney Morning Herald also gained access to the list and stated about half of the banned Web sites are not associated with child pornography. The sites include online poker portals, YouTube links, gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia pages and the homepages of private companies and medical practitioners. The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, said that secret censorship systems were “invariably corrupted.” He pointed to the example of more than 1,200 sites criticizing the Thai royal family, which were on the Thailand censorship list, originally created to prevent child pornography. Assange obtained the blacklist after Australian Communications and Media Authority added Wikileaks to its blacklist following the site’s decision to publish the Danish blacklist. The ACMA is investigating the leak of the blacklist and considering a range of actions, including possible criminal prosecution. Sen. Stephen Conroy, the communications minister, said the leak and publication of the blacklist would be “grossly irresponsible” and undermine efforts to improve cyber safety. “Under existing laws, the ACMA blacklist includes URLs relating to child sexual abuse, rape, incest, bestiality, sexual violence and detailed instruction in crime,” he said. “No one interested in cyber safety would condone the leaking of this list.” The blacklist is provided to makers of Internet ﬁltering software that parents are able to install on their PCs. However, if the government proceeds with

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

its proposed Internet ﬁltering scheme, sites on the blacklist will be blocked for all Australians.

Hotel sued for refusing gay couple A gay couple in England has ﬁled a lawsuit against Christian hotel proprietors who refused to let the men stay together in the same room. Martyn Hall and his civil partner, Steven Preddy, are seeking $7,286 in damages for “direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.” Peter and Hazelmary Bull, who own the seaside hotel in Cornwall, contend they have a policy dating to 1986 permitting only married heterosexuals to share rooms. The Bulls had received a warning in August from the Stonewall gay-rights group that they were violating the law. Mrs. Bull said she took the twonight booking over the phone from Hall and Preddy, both of Bristol, in September because she wrongly assumed they were straight. When Hall and Preddy arrived and their reservation was rejected, the men reported the incident to the police. A lawyer for the Bulls is defending the couple under the European Convention on Human Rights, which he says protects their right to act according to their religious beliefs.

Tennis pro in gender controversy Tennis insiders are grappling with issues of sexual identity and biology regarding an upand-coming German star on the international circuit. Sarah Gronert, 22, was born with both male and female genitalia but underwent surgery to become female both legally and physically. However, some coaches, players and ofﬁcials charge that she seems unnaturally

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strong for a woman and speculate, based on her birth condition, that she may beneﬁt from a higherthan-average distribution of male hormones. Thus, the authorities question whether she should be allowed to compete against women at all. Schlomo Tzoref, who coaches player Julia Glushko, claims that Gronert has a clear advantage and should not be able to compete against women. “There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams,” he said. Gronert, ranked 619 by the Women’s Tennis Association, beat Glushko, ranked 325, and three other opponents in a tournament in Ra’anana, Israel, a few weeks ago. “This is not a woman, it’s a man,” Glushko added. “She does not have the power of a woman and no woman has such a technique.” According to her WTA record, Gronert has played nine tournaments around the world and has won two, including the Ra’anana tournament on March 2 and a January tournament in Kaarst, Germany.

Denmark set to expand adoption Denmark Parliament introduced a bill March 17 that would give equal adoption rights for civil partners and straight married couples. The proposal, from Civil Centre Party founder Simon Emil Ammitzbøll, grants partners registered in civil unions the right to adopt unrelated children both domestically and internationally. Currently, gays and lesbians can adopt individually in the country and couples can adopt their partner’s existing children. The bill will grant same-sex couples the right to adopt jointly, in line with straight married couples. Other Nordic countries, such as Iceland, Norway and Sweden, already allow same-sex couples to adopt jointly. According to ﬁgures from 2007, 103 of 712 stepchild adoptions were from couples in civil partnerships. Most adoptions involving unrelated children tend to take place abroad, making it difﬁcult for Danish same-sex couples to do so, as many countries will not allow homosexual adoption. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Bob Mould’s

Detour A departure from the ordinary

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‘Life and Times’

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Icon rocks the studio, the stage and the dance floor By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer This is definitely a year of milestones for Bob Mould. It’s been 30 years since the openly gay alternative-rock pioneer made an indelible impact in the evolution of popular music as a founding member of the influential punk band Hüsker Dü and 20 years since he released his first solo album. Since then, Mould, now 48, has cemented his status as an alternative-rock icon, fronting and writing for another highly regarded band, Sugar, in the 1990s and with even more solo efforts. His highly acclaimed solo career is still thriving today. Like most of Mould’s solo albums, his latest, “Life and Times,” was written and recorded almost entirely on his own.

“I’ve been pretty self-contained,” Mould said. “I guess in the last 10-12 years, it’s been pretty extreme. I work at home by myself and reach out to other musicians when the work is almost completed. I work in a little bit of a vacuum, but I think that’s part of the charm of what I do. I think that personalizes it for people.” With a title like “Life and Times” and a memoir hitting shelves in 2010, one might assume the two projects are related. “It almost seems as if I did the album to set up the book,” he acknowledged. “But ‘Life and Times’ was the title of the first song that I sat down to write for this record. The first three songs on the album were written in that order over the course of a weekend. I guess that was what informed the title.”

MOULD Photo: Noah Kalina

Anyone who caught Mould on tour last year might recognize some of the songs on “Life and Times,” as he aired some of them live before he recorded them. “I was doing some acoustic dates last summer and I was playing ‘Sorry Baby [But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More],’ ‘The Breach’ and ‘City Lights’ a couple of times,” Mould said. “‘Sorry Baby’ was the one that I was playing the most — every night — and getting a very strong response back from people. The rest of the songs sort of fell into place later in the year when I got back home to D.C. and applied myself to finishing out the record. It was a nice, long writing process.” While many artists 30 years deep into their careers sound like they’re phoning it in, Mould’s latest is a vital blast of alternative rock punctuated by hard-charging songs like “Argos,” meditative tracks like “Lifetime” and the very-hooky “City Lights (Days Go By).” Ten songs later, the ride is over and you want to listen to the whole thing again. “I’m old school. I grew up on

32-minute albums,” Mould said. “Ten good songs makes a much stronger impact than 16 songs where 10 might be good and the other six are distracting. I think the artform for me has remained the same. So if you can’t get it done in 40 minutes or less, you should reconsider what you’re trying to say.” “Life and Times,” along with Mould’s 2008 CD, “The District Line,” represents a departure for the artist as both were released on Anti Records, a sister label of the successful Epitaph Records. Mould had issued the bulk of his previous solo work through his own independent label, Granary Music, but said Anti is working out as an appropriate home for his work. “I think they both worked well,” he said, comparing the two labels. “Granary had a distribution deal with Sony so I had the machinery behind me. With Anti, I think it has a great roster. It’s a place for songwriters and career artists who have a solid body of work to take out and present to people. It’s been a really good fit. It works for both of us. It’s a tough business right now. We’re trying to stay in this business together. I don’t know how new artists

make it in the music business. I’m very lucky that I’ve been at it for a long time and I’ve got a brand that sustains and a history that allows me to continue working. We’re in the middle of a major state of change. We’re coming out of the other side and it will be great. It’s a curious time. Nobody really knows what’s next.” One thing that hasn’t changed is Mould’s popularity as a live performer, and his current solo acoustic tour will find him performing songs spanning his career on April 3 at the North Star Bar. “I’m going back to Hüsker Dü,” he said. “Since ‘Life and Times’ is a touchstone for the

MOULD AND RICHARD MOREL

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Mould added that he doesn’t expect to find new fans for his solo work among those who frequent Blowoff. “It’s not geared for that,” he said. “If that was a by-product, that would be great. When I’m working on Blowoff, my focus is on putting music together that makes for a great party. I don’t look at it as a way to promote

20th anniversary of ‘Workbook,’ my first solo album, I’m doing a fair amount off of that record. I’m also doing a good amount of Sugar stuff and selected tracks from the second solo era, which started in 1996. It’s a career stand. It goes back to ’83 or ’84. It covers a lot of ground.” The current leg of Mould’s solo tour will end with a bang when he performs with his band at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival in Indo, Calif. He said that transitioning from intimate clubs to a massive mediacircus event like Coachella can be a shock to the system for any artist. “In my time I’ve done a lot of big festivals like that. It was very overwhelming to walk out and see that many people assembled to hear music. It’s funny because at festivals, they’re assembled to hear music, not specifically my music. When I’m in a small-club setting, everyone is there for one reason: They want to hear the songs that I’ve written and that’s all they want to hear. In a festival setting, there’s the notion that there is that many people together to listen to everybody’s music and, on a big stage like that, you can’t rely on the crowd to be behind you. It’s a real challenge. It doesn’t happen every day. For some people it does, but not for me.” On top of his solo career, Mould continues to host Blowoff, an alternative-music party he started with out DJ, producer and artist Richard Morel. Since debuting in 2003, Blowoff has grown into monthly event in Washington, D.C., at The 9:30 Club, and a bi-monthly event at New York City’s Highline Ballroom. Mould said Blowoff’s popularity continues to grow. “It’s gotten a fair amount bigger in the last 18 months,” he said. “Now we’re going every couple of months to Brooklyn

Photo: Peter Ross

and San Francisco. We’re adding Chicago in over Memorial Day weekend. We’ve got plans for other cities in the U.S. coming up in the next two years. People love the music and have a great time at the party. I’m fortunate to have this career that’s becoming as big as my other career. It’s really busy right now. To us, it’s presenting a solid night of music in the right context in the right setting. Rich and I are very aware of what we’ve got and we’re very conscious of the decisions that we make about it. Rich and I are very protective of Blowoff. I think our crowd knows that and that’s what makes it work.” Blowoff, with its leanings toward the beer-drinking, leather-daddy and “chunky-hunk” demographic, isn’t your typical electro/dance party, as Mould and Morel incorporate alternative rock and pop into their DJ sets, allowing artists like The Killers and The Cult to bump shoulders with those like Grace Jones and Tears For Fears. “Musically, I tend to start with quieter intro music: lowfi, experimental stuff. I try to build it up a bit and get people dancing by the end of the first hour,” Mould said. “Usually my second set is the floor filler, with big anthem-y aggressive stuff. Rich usually closes it out with pop stuff and maybe gets a little bit deeper into house stuff. Rich’s background in remixing is way more pronounced than mine. With Blowoff, I think there’s some overlap with the DJ culture. We don’t go into dance clubs. We go into livemusic venues to do our events. We’re really trying to focus on the music more than anything else. That’s what works for us. I’ve started to see other events around the country that are taking a similar approach. It’s a different way of doing things.”

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my traditional career. I know there are a lot of gay men that are familiar with my music history that have been fans for a long time and are really big supporters of Blowoff. There are old punk-rock guys who I didn’t know were gay then but are gay now and hanging out at Blowoff.” Bob Mould performs at 9 p.m.

April 3 at North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. For more information or tickets, visit www.northstarbar.com or call (215) 787-0488. For more information on Mould or Blowoff, visit www.granarymusic.com or www.blowoff.us. ■

Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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News for your lifestyle.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Offline

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Bruce Yelk

’Tis the season to get out and party A couple times each year, Philadelphia’s LGBT community is bombarded with a huge selection of special events, promotions and diversions. Usually taking place during the spring and fall seasons, our social scene transitions (please excuse the environmental metaphor) from tundra to rainforest within a matter of days. So after a few months with limited innovative events on the calendar, Philly’s in the midst of a social explosion. And with a deluge of options in the next two weeks, I’m sacrificing style for volume and efficiency. I hope you find the following events exciting and interesting. — This evening (March 27) from 7-9 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., the University of Pennsylvania’s Queer Student Alliance is holding its third annual drag benefit show, “All That Drag.” It’s a recession-

Out Online

proof event with admission priced reasonably at $5 (presale) or $7 (at the door). Proceeds equally benefit Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance and the Vivek A. Patel Foundation. Check out the Queer Student Alliance on Facebook for more information. — Tomorrow (March 28) marks the return of “Lassos and Lariats” at Pure Nightclub, 1221 St. James St., from 4-11 p.m. It’s the 14th year for what has become one of the city’s most popular charitable events. A celebration of country-dance styles, “Lassos and Lariats” will feature performances by The DC Cowboys and The Manhattan Prairie Dogs. If you have a thing for tight jeans, 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots, then you’ll be in heaven. Admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Proceeds from ticket sales, as well as the 50/50 drawing and raffle baskets, benefit the The Attic Youth Center and the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey. Visit www.lassosandlariats.com to purchase advance tickets. — If you’re into ballet and

lyrical dance instead of two-stepping, don’t sit at home alone tomorrow night. The gays will be out in droves for the 17th annual performance of “Shut Up and Dance.” Kicking off at 8 p.m., this one-night-only celebration features a range of special performances by members of the Pennsylvania Ballet and is hosted by WXPN’s Michaela Majoun. Advance tickets range from $50$100, which may be a bit pricey for some of us, but “Shut Up and Dance” is worth the investment. First off, the proceeds benefit MANNA. Second, the dancers and choreographers present jaw-dropping performances that keep people talking for months. Lastly, there’s the after-party, “Shout with Sole,” at SoleFood Restaurant in the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St. Get more info and tickets at www.mannapa.org or by calling (215) 496-2662 ext. 136. — For those of us who have fallen in love with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on the Logo Network, there’s a great chance to catch some real-life queens up close and personal. Tomorrow at the Memorial Hall, Christiana

Fire Company, 2 E. Main St., Christiana, Del., is the Miss Gay Delaware America 2009 competition. The winner will represent Delaware in the Miss Gay America Pageant, so expect contestants to pull out all the stops, and maybe even a competitor’s weave. Visit www.missgaydelawareamerica.com for all the dirty details. — Though it’s scheduled on April Fool’s Day, The Fags and Hags Comedy Show, 10 p.m. April 1 at Stir, 1705 Chancellor St., is no joke. Host Katie Kohler welcomes queer comedians Neil McGarry, Joanne Filan and Janice Kamalski. I’m so glad one of our local bars is embracing stand-up as an alternative to traditional nightclub entertainment. Cover is only $5, and more details are available on www. stirphilly.com. Before I sign off for the week, I want to leave you with a quick reminder that Mr. Gay Philadelphia 2009 is coming up on April 18 at Pure. We’ve already secured many celebrity judges and a number of amazing contestants from prelims held at

Bump Lounge, Woody’s, Pure and Shampoo. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll pick representatives from Stir (10 p.m. March 28), 101 (7 p.m. March 29) and Tavern on Camac (8 p.m. April 2). Anyone interested in vying for the title on April 18 is encouraged to participate in one of the remaining preliminary contests. If your schedule doesn’t permit and you’d like to compete in the main event, contact me. Despite all the ground covered in this column, I’d be remiss not to thank everyone who attended Nightlifegay.com’s Pink Pub Crawl last Saturday. I’m already strategizing for the next Pink Pub Crawl, which will likely take place on Thanksgiving Eve. I plan for this twice-yearly promotion to become a Philly staple, and I sincerely thank all of you who helped put it on the map. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer! ■ If you have comments or information on upcoming events, e-mail bruce@nightlifegay.com, reference Offline.

Jason Villemez

Springtime tweeting on Twitter It’s hard to ignore Twitter nowadays. Network news has embraced it, celebrities indulge in it and a whole lot of people wonder what the heck it is, and then they sign up too. Today’s world of Facebook and MySpace makes many roll their eyes at the various “social-networking” Web sites floating around. But Twitter has a lot more in its favor than sharing personal data or promoting the music industry. It’s pretty simple to describe Twitter: People write short sentences or snippets (limited to 140 characters) and post them like entries in a journal or blog. There

is no limit to how many entries a person can make at one time, but each entry usually stands alone as a specific thought or statement. Users can post what they are doing or what they think about something, or direct readers to articles or photographs on other Web sites. How individuals use Twitter is purely up to them. Professionalmedia organizations use it as a live feed for reporting stories before they get published. When Vince Fumo was convicted last week, many Philly news sources posted the verdicts on their Twitter feeds first: Some even did a play-by-play as the number of guilty counts increased. Other people — celebrities and everyday citizens alike — use Twitter as a personal blog or a promotional tool, or simply to say hello

to other “Tweeters,” like sending an e-mail. In addition to writing, people can follow others’ posts, which appear on the Twitter.com homepage stacked one on top of the other. When someone writes a new post, it appears on top of the stack, like bricks on a wall. I can be reading my friend’s thoughts on a film she just saw and the next second be looking at the latest news update on the economy, then write my own thoughts, which will be sent to the top of all my friends’ pages. There are many different people and organizations one can choose to follow, which makes each user’s Twitter page completely customizable. Want to see the latest news headlines from the BBC, New York Times and “60 Minutes” all on the same screen?

Hungry for the latest meanderings of Tina Fey, Shaq and Rachel Maddow (who wrote that she threw out her back last week)? Both are possible. And of course, if you just want to message with friends about the latest event or evening, I’m sure you know at least one person on Twitter. There are also many LGBT tweeters out there in all areas. Queerty, Big Gay News and Gay Rights Watch post news snippets on the community. Feast of Fun and The Lesbian Mafia are two popular talk shows that use Twitter. There are groups that have Twitter pages, like GLBT Dallas, which posts updates on city events, or LGBT History, which directs people to learn more about the community’s beginnings. And these are merely additions to all the individual

users, gay and straight, who make Twitter one of the most popular sites on the Internet. Whether you decide to use it as a place to simply read the latest headlines and gossip, build your own network of users to communicate with or simply write down a few daily thoughts, Twitter is a simple and easy way to get connected to whatever and whomever you choose. With a simpler interface than Facebook and less scandalous than MySpace (so far), it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing an end to it any time soon. So, like the birds who have recently rejoined us from down south, why not hop on over, take a look around and give a tweet? ■ Contact Jason with feedback at outonline@gmail.com.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Former teen pop star still likes to ‘party’ LG: They can expect to hear the oldies they like and other songs that I like. It’s a very musical show. It’s got some modern classics and, of course, my classics.

By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer Lesley Gore was a teen-pop sensation long before Miley, Taylor, Rihanna, Britney, Christina, Justin, Kelly, etc., were born. This was way, way, way back in the day: 1963, to be exact. This was before The Beatles broke in America, and Gore, with the help of not-yet-famous producer Quincy Jones, had a number-one smash hit with “It’s My Party.” Don’t act like you’ve never heard the song. As it happens for most teenpop sensations, a string of hits, TV shows and movie roles followed, as well as the inevitable decline in popularity. Undaunted, Gore soldiered on, acting on television and performing in concerts and cabarets for the next few decades. In 2005, she came out as a les-

bian and released her first album of new material since 1976. Soon after, her work was heard on “The L Word” and “CSI: Miami.” On a tour that will bring her to Philadelphia this week, Gore spoke to PGN about how she has kept her party going.

PGN: Do you find it necessary to keep up with what’s going on in popular music? LG: It’s not really necessary for what I do and I’m not in competition with the young people who are making records today. It was young people’s field then and it’s even more so today. I do like to stay on top of it anyway. I’m familiar with Duffy and Amy Winehouse. Of course I’ve heard of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. I’m not on top of it the same way I was in my teens and 20s, where I knew everything on the charts.

PGN: What can your fans expect when they see you in concert?

PGN: Do you think artists like the Jonas Bothers or Miley have

LESLEY GORE

it easier or harder than you did? LG: I think in some ways it’s a lot tougher. I think today, if my option was to try and get onto “American Idol” and create a career that way, I would not be singing now. I probably would have gone into something else. PGN: Is there a secret to staying in the entertainment business for as long as you have? LG: You kind of have to keep reinventing yourself. For me, the trick is to change my show on a constant basis so that I don’t get tired of it. If I’m tired of it and I get on a stage, that is definitely going to come across to an audience. PGN: Most pop artists in the 1960s had very little or no creative control when it came to their records. At what point did you start to become involved in

the creative process? LG: I was very fortunate to be working with Quincy Jones, who really treated me like a musician. He never treated me like a kid or a teenager. There were times that Quincy and I disagreed about a particular song. Usually we would negotiate it out. We usually came up with a way of making both of us happy. PGN: At the time, did you think that the songs you were recording were still going to be popular more than 40 years later? LG: No, absolutely not. I can say for sure that we never thought these songs would be played 40some odd years later. Gore performs at 8 p.m. March 28 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. For more information, call (215) 5727650. ■

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Family Portraits With only 23 years on this earth, Shayna SheNess Israel has already racked up quite a list of accomplishments: poet, teacher, rap artist, social worker, tutor, activist and feminist. Though she deals with heavy matters of the world, the eternal optimist has such a glow about her that I found it impossible to take a serious picture of her. Despite my urging to give me a semi-serious face, Israel beamed in each shot. To quote an old Jayne Mansfield film, “The girl can’t help it.” Not a bad trait to have. PGN: Tell me a little about yourself. SI: I am a recent Bryn Mawr grad. I got my degree in sociology. So right now, I’m experiencing life outside of campus. I work as a site coordinator for the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, which is an afterschool program for students that helps them with college prep and with finding jobs. That’s parttime. I also work as a resident tutor for the A Better Chance [ABC] program. It’s a boardingschool program in Swarthmore that allows students of color from areas where the school districts are substandard to have access to higher-quality educational options.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Suzi Nash PGN: That sounds like a lot! SI: [Laughs.] I also teach a class that I co-founded called Saturday Cipher. It’s a poetry, rap and performance class. PGN: I’m actually pretty familiar with the ABC program. One of my last boyfriends was an ABC student; it was a long time ago! SI: I was an ABC kid myself. I enrolled in the ABC program in Swarthmore and attended Strath Haven High School. PGN: Was it a good experience? SI: Now, yes, but it was not without its challenges. I was 14 and 90 miles from home and family in a predominantly white neighborhood. I’d grown up around West Indian people all my life and the only white people I saw were in TV. I mean, I had some white teachers and of course you’d see white people in Manhattan, but we rarely went to Manhattan, so it was a bit alien to me. What was funny too was that ABC house was in an area with a lot of Hassidic Jews. I didn’t think that they were white, I just thought that they were Jewish and in a separate category. The same for Italians and other ethnicities — I didn’t realize that they were all considered white people.

PGN: Where are you originally from? SI: I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. My mother is from Belize and my father is from South Carolina. I’m the middle child; I have a younger sister and two older brothers. One is a Marine who was stationed in Iraq for a while, and the oldest brother is a rapper. My sister just graduated from Hunter College and I’m really proud of her. She had a baby and still managed to graduate a year early with a double major. PGN: Hey, how do you get to be a middle child with four kids? SI: [Laughs.] Well, I was raised as a middle child. My oldest brother is a half-sibling who just recently became a regular part of the family unit. PGN: What was it like growing up in Brooklyn? SI: My mother’s family is West Indian, from Belize. And I grew up with lots of family around. I would play with my cousins and go to parties at my grandmother’s house. We’d hang out and roam the streets like we were bad or something — climbing fences and trees and begging the icecream man for free ice cream in the summertime. We had fun together. I’d also sit in my room

SHAYNA SHENESS ISRAEL Photo: Suzi Nash

and write quite a bit. PGN: As a poet, do you remember the first poem that influenced you? SI: Of course! It’s the quintessential poem by Maya Angelou that inspired so many people, “Still I Rise.” In fourth grade, my teacher, Miss Walker, made the class memorize the poem for Black History Month. One of the lines is “Does my haughtiness offend you?” and I remember savoring the word “haughty.” The elegance and the air that she exuded in the poem really connected with me. PGN: Interests? SI: I’m really into women’s issues. I spent a summer as a domestic-violence counselor at the Montgomery County Women’s Center. I also helped to revitalize Bryn Mawr’s Women’s Center and worked to create the Student Center of Feminism. PGN: How did you get involved with rap? SI: I’ve been doing poetry for forever and I started rapping when I was 16. I wanted to take educational messages about history and transform them into a format that was accessible to many people. When I got to Bryn Mawr, I met some friends who also did poetry and rap. I spoke to them about forming a collective where we could do

our own things but would be a group to support one another. We formed a women’s crew called 3xalady, like the Lionel Richie song, “Three Times a Lady.” Two of us are queer and we wanted to bring the narrative of women to the forefront and felt that hip-hop was a place where it was especially needed. There’s a lot of erasure of the influence of women and even minorities in the hip-hop culture as it goes mainstream. It’s getting washed away by the hyper-masculine culture that’s taken it over. PGN: It’s sad to see how it went from being something upbeat and playful or meaningful to downright misogynist and ugly. SI: Yes, it’s weird how we have elevated men in the community to something that’s above the law, above custom, above appropriateness. I think it stems from not holding our men responsible at the earliest age for who they are and how they relate to other genders. Growing up, I remember that the boys got away with everything while the girls were told not to leave the yard. They got to run around and go wild while the girls were supposed to attend religious services. A boy could cuss his mother out and nothing would be done, but if a girl got sassy, she’d get popped. I just didn’t understand the disparity and why you would let these little boys grow up without any

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

reverence for where or who they came from. The young boys I work with are not that way until they get inundated with images of women being treated poorly, as commodities. PGN: The Chris Brown incident doesn’t help. As someone who’s worked in the domestic-violence field, how did it affect you? SI: It’s terribly disheartening. I’m gathering thoughts to do a piece on it. Recently I spoke to a number of students about it in West Philadelphia. It was right after two other DV incidents had happened, both where the mother was attacked and stabbed right in front of her children. I was so angry and sick about it, I brought the articles to my school and had the kids talk about it. They were saying how sad it was and many of them told me about incidents they had witnessed — from girls being spit on by their boyfriends just for being there to being slapped or beat up. I read them a portion from an expert who’d stated that if you see an incident happen in public, it was definitely not the first time it had occurred. Most were upset about it. Then we got to the Chris and Rihanna thing and it got weird. The boys were upset that Brown had assaulted her and were saying there was no excuse for that kind of violence, and the girls shocked me by coming to Brown’s defense, saying she either provoked it or deserved it because she was stupid enough to go back to him when it had happened before. They didn’t know why he was being vilified for something that happened all the time. PGN: I just saw a study that found 50 percent of the young women surveyed thought she was to blame. SI: It’s so destructive. I was just watching an old hip-hop movie, “Wild Style,” with a friend and I noticed that all the women in the movie were either there to cheer the men on or were depicted as gold-digging harlots or as sex objects for the men. The lead female was especially repulsive, and what happens is that you dislike like the characters, and then you start thinking of all women in that regard and start not liking women. That’s where it starts; even as a woman, you begin to not respect women and men become self-righteous in their opinion of women. Yet it’s the image of women that they’ve created and foisted on the community.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PGN: Let’s change gears. What’s your coming-out story? SI: I guess it was different in that it involved only me. I just remember looking at this girl one day and thinking, “I really want to kiss her.” I’d never had any conscious gay thoughts before that — it was just kind of out of the blue. In that instant, I said to myself, “You do realize that this means you’re gay.” And that was it, I was out. I was about 18 — though, looking back, when I was young, there were probably other indications. I remember in seventh grade I was on the bus and I saw this girl who was in eighth grade. I said to her, “You have really beautiful breasts” and everybody on the bus went crazy. My friends were shouting, “Ewwww, Shayna, you’re gay! Women don’t talk about other women’s breasts.” I was like, “Yes, they do. Women compliment each other all the time.” She told the other kids to shut up and got off the bus with me. Nothing ever happened, but looking back, I guess that was pretty gay!

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Q Puzzle Harvey of Human Kindness

Across 1. Sean, who played the lead in 67-Across 5. Lover’s quarrels 10. TV show, e.g. 14. Two-toned cookie 15. Muscle Mary’s tummy toughener 16. “Desert of the Heart” author 17. Moisten with spray 18. Former Indian head 19. ___ buco (veal dish) 20. Pansy part 22. With 67-Across, summary of Harvey’s words? 24. Most off the mark 26. Make up 27. With 67-Across, Harvey as a mama’s boy? 30. Regarding 32. Like some pitched balls 33. Minor bones to pick 34. Gershick’s “Gay ___ Girls” 37. Bear’s fur 38. With 67-Across, well-intePGN: What’s up next? grated Harvey? SI: There’s a really excit40. Family diagram ing 2009 LGBTQ Womyn of 41. Blow it Color Conference happening 42. Leaning this weekend called “Breathing 43. Tickle pink Fire: Channeling the Power 45. Boone, for short Within.” It’s going to be two 46. With 67-Across, Harvey days of programs starting with when we cry over him? a performance by my group, 47. Broadway backer 3xaladycrew, and the Nzinga Arts 50. “Hold it right there!” Collective and featuring vocalist 52. With 67-Across, supported Fatimah Loren. Renowned poet, Harvey? activist and author Staceyann 54. Tickled pink Chin will be featured as well. On 58. Soothing agent Saturday, there will be workshops 59. Peruvian friends of Maya addressing the body and health, Angelou? spirituality and a whole lot more. 61. Ready for plucking Get more information at www. 62. “Sex and the City” creator firetickets.eventbrite.com. ■ Darren 63. Penetrating To suggest a community member 64. On the calm side for “Family Portraits,” write to: 65. Cash register section Family Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.

PGN

66. Let fly 67. 2008 biopic about Harvey Down 1. Partner of Circumstance 2. Lake traveled by Ohio ferries 3. Kristy McNichol sitcom “Empty ___ ” 4. Zip 5. IRS info 6. Smithereens 7. Threesome member for Dumas 8. Shake your moneymaker? 9. Common tater 10. Lickety-split 11. “The Celluloid Closet” author Vito 12. “The Hot Chick”’s Eric Christian 13. Hollow rock 21. Used a forked tongue 23. Chows down 25. Sucked up 27. Disney’s Mickey and Minnie, e.g.

28. ___ about 29. Peter or Paul but not Mary 31. Treeless tract 33. 69 and others (abbr.) 34. Kind of stimulating 35. Suffix with Congo 36. A Scout may do a good one 39. Nothing to brag about? 40. Early electric message 42. South Pacific island 44. Vincente’s daughter 45. Gets in the way of 46. Give Valium to 47. Pull ___ one 48. Streisand’s “Prince of Tides” costar 49. Bad pun response 51. Come again 53. Command 55. Taylor of “I Shot Andy Warhol” 56. German-built car 57. Calendar row 60. Work under Edith Head, perhaps SOLUTION, Page 28

We love to get picked up.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Playwright’s revamped classic debuts in Philly By Larry Nichols PGN Staff Writer With last week’s Philadelphia premiere of “At Home at the Zoo,” the Philadelphia Theatre Company revisited the first play ever written by legendary gay playwright Edward Albee. Albee, 81, is best known for penning classics such as the Tony Award-winning “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and Pulitzer Prize winners “A Delicate Balance,” “Seascape” and “Three Tall Women.” “At Home at the Zoo” expands upon Albee’s first play, “The Zoo Story,” which was written in 1958 and debuted in 1959. The one-act play involved Peter, an uptown publisher, who found himself thrust into a life-changing encounter on a Central Park bench

EDWARD ALBEE

with Jerry, a desperate outcast. “At Home at the Zoo,” which debuted in 2004, adds an introductory first act to the play and gives the audience a look into Peter’s home life.

“It always should have been a two-act play,” Albee said of “The Zoo Story.” “This is much better. I think that having the first act, where we understand more who Peter is and his relationship with his wife, when he does go to the park and is confronted by Jerry, we have a much clearer understanding of who he is and why he behaves the way he does. It defines Peter an awful lot more. I think it makes the whole thing a better play.” Not everyone shares Albee’s opinions about the updated play, as the changes have been met with more than a few grumbles in the theater community. But it’s not like Albee gives a damn what they think. “There are some people who feel possessive about things that don’t belong to them,” he said. “An awful lot of people love the new story. A lot of actors do because there’s one great starring role with a huge monologue in it, and everybody wants to play it too young. There’s an awful lot of 25-year-old kids who want to play Jerry, and Jerry is meant to be 40. Every young acting student wants to play Jerry because it’s a good role and they start getting possessive about it.” Albee doesn’t see this new version as changing the original play, but rather as completing a story that wasn’t finished in the first place. He added he’s not planning on revising or adding to any of his other plays.

SAVE PINE STREET! SIGN PETITION!

SCENE FROM “AT HOME AT THE ZOO”

“I don’t believe in rewriting a play that I’ve written a long time ago because I’m not the same person,” he said. “I don’t have any plans at the moment, but you never know what’s going on in my strange head.” Albee’s plays, especially his early works, have always offered a dark and satirical look inside the American dream, exposing the thinly veiled cruelty and social injustices underlying the supposedly normal everyday lives of married couples and the middle class. “That’s all you can write about: life, death and the way that people interact in the filler in between,” he said. “I’m not going to let people off the hook. I would like them to interpret and receive what is there. There’s always some kind of social message in what I am writing, but no two people see the same play. Everybody sees what they want to see and there’s nothing you can do about that. You try hard to force people to see what you want them to see and sometimes you get there, sometimes you don’t.” Because of the messages, Albee’s works often seem far more relevant today than when they were first written. But he doesn’t necessarily see his plays

SOLUTION From Page 27

as being ahead of their time. “Damned if I know,” he replied when asked if his plays are more significant now. “I have no idea. The isolation, the problems that people have relating socially and psychologically to other people is pretty much still the same, I guess. Plays have to have conflict, and you can’t have a good play with a bunch of people sitting around happy and enjoying themselves.” Albee also isn’t quick to single out any play as a favorite or superior to another. “I don’t think in terms of being proud of a play,” he said. “There are none of them that I am unhappy that I’ve written. I think they all have some usefulness. I have a 12-minute play I wrote called ‘The Sandbox’ that I didn’t make any mistakes in. In 12 minutes, it’s hard to make mistakes.” Albee acknowledged his plays fare better now among critics than when they debuted. “I find it interesting that when my plays come out and they get their first reviews, generally all of the views are 50-percent good, 50-percent bad,” he said. “Except for the more recent ones, the older plays got half-good and halfbad reviews. But when they are revived, the reviews keep getting better. Now that means one of two things: Either the critics are getting more intelligent and that the plays were always as good as they seem now, or they haven’t gotten any better and people are getting stupider.” “At Home at the Zoo” runs through April 19 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, visit www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org or call (215) 9850420. ■ Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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Mombian Dana Rudolph Diversity in literature: penguins to chicken butts “Guess what?” “Chicken butt!” The classic schoolyard gag has found new life in “Chicken Butt!” a picture book by critically acclaimed children’s author Erica Perl. There is nothing LGBT-specific about the story, but Perl’s illustrator is Henry Cole, the prolific artist who also did the drawings for Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson’s “And Tango Makes Three” and Harvey Fierstein’s “The Sissy Duckling,” both beloved by LGBT parents and their children. Cole and Perl spoke with me recently about diversity and subversion in kids’ books, the general state of children’s literature and, of course, chickens. The idea for the book sprang from Perl’s first work, “Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early.” While

promoting that book, Perl was telling lots of chicken jokes and realized the “butt” one might make a good story in itself. Her publisher, Harry N. Abrams Inc., helped pair her and Cole, who she says did “amazing” things to bring the all-dialogue story to life. Cole, whose interest in birds started when he was growing up on a farm in Virginia, was a natural for the job. He admits to “a childhood fascination with chickens” and observes, “Somehow chicken books come across my drawing table frequently.” The cartoon-like but expressive characters of “Chicken Butt!” are closer to those of “The Sissy Duckling” than the more realistic, soft watercolor penguins of “Tango.” Cole explained, “Drawing a chicken wearing a pair of tighty-whities is stretching the imagination a little bit, and just crazy fun. The illustrations for ‘Tango’ were difficult because most of the story takes place in a very enclosed space,

kind of dark — not many colors or things going on in the penguin house. Getting a variety of perspectives and trying to make each page interesting was difficult. That wasn’t true for ‘Chicken Butt!’ where I could use different bold colors and make this maniacal chicken.” The chicken may get the laughs, but the heart of the story is the relationship between the boy and his father, who ends up exhausted on the couch after his son’s machinations. Perl said the father’s defeat makes the book work for both kids and grownups. “The kid gets the satisfaction of feeling they’ve outsmarted the grownup a little bit,” she explained, “but the grownup has the sensation of reading a book that speaks to their experience, that oftentimes you’ll set up a rule and kids will figure out a way around it.” A book about chicken butts and an overwhelmed father may be somewhat subversive, but Perl said she prefers to write stories

that don’t wrap everything up with a pat ending. She observed, however, that many publishers in these days of slim margins are less willing to take chances on edgier works, often going with books that have licensed character tie-ins and other safe subjects. Cole, who taught elementary school for 16 years, added that a little edginess may in fact help encourage children’s interest in reading. “I think if you can grab that little boy in the back of a classroom who’s cutting up and not paying attention, then you’ve got everybody,” he explained. “If you’re going to read books aloud to a class, and one of them is ‘Teddy Bears Playing in the Lilac Bushes,’ and the other one is ‘Chicken Butt!’ [then] ‘Chicken Butt!’ is going to make people sit up and listen and pay attention.” Despite the market-driven focus of children’s publishing, Perl sensed that some publishers are becoming more willing to

tackle sensitive issues like race, family structure or caring for the environment. “Whether that’s because it’s suddenly politically correct or because it’s the right thing to do, it’s nice,” she said. “Publishers are less likely to see things as a one-issue book, and more like a book a lot of people could get behind.” “Chicken Butt!” which features only a boy, his father and one zany chicken, works well for gay and/or single dads, but the poultry humor seems to transcend barriers and hit a universal funny spot for elementary-school kids from any type of family. The book may not have the same warm, fuzzy (feathery?) messages about family and self as “Tango” or “The Sissy Duckling,” but for a fast-paced, fun read-aloud that captures an all-too-true slice of family life ... guess what? ■ Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian, a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Serving up tranquility, heat at Thai Chef By Suzi Nash PGN Contributor Nestled below a psychicreading place on a quiet block is a small gem called Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion, 2028 Chestnut St. It’s a quirky little spot with a funky combination of styles. The outside boasts a “Grand Opening” banner, though it’s been open since November, and a sandwich board announcing the specials. An illuminated pinkpurple awning lets you know you’re at the right spot. Inside, the décor goes from the modern to the traditional, with a little Jacques Cousteau thrown in for good measure. The ﬁrst thing I noticed as the hostess showed me to my seat was the napkins rolled into a really cool ﬂower shape. In my heart I’m a party planner, so I made note to ask her to show me the secret before the dinner was

over. I took my seat and ordered the Thai iced tea ($2.95). Thai tea is sweetened with sugar and condensed milk and served chilled. It was sweet with a strong undercurrent of black tea, though again, big kid that I am, I paid more attention to the fact that they twisted the straw cover into a cute little heart shape than anything else. (Just call me Petra Pan; I refuse to grow up.) The ceiling is illuminated with about a half-dozen mod-looking light fixtures and the walls are serenely painted with underwater scenes. Well, serene unless you’re one of the little fish being consumed by the great white on the side wall heading toward the restroom, but soothing for us big fish. There are all sorts of subtle touches and little decorations adding to the tranquil oceanic

Ristorante La Buca is celebrating 29 years in Business Thanks to our loyal customers. We still have the best Tuscan cuisine and fresh seafood.

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feel. As some of you know, I’m a stickler for music matching the mood of a place, and Thai Chef had it perfectly. Traditional music was piped in at a level loud enough to give the place some ambiance, but low enough that you could have a conversation with the person across the table without shouting. I started with the mushroom soup ($5.50), wild mushrooms in cream. Fantastic! I’ve raved that Friday Saturday Sunday has the best mushroom soup in town, but this is a close second. The consistency was both thick and smooth and the wild-mushroom ﬂavor was present without being too earthy. Perfect. My dining companion ordered the coconut soup ($4.50). It can be ordered with chicken, shrimp, assorted seafood or vegetarian; we chose chicken. The coconut soup, aka tom kha, was made with kalanga coconut milk broth and lime leaf. The combination of coconut milk and lime might seem odd to the uninitiated, but it produces a wonderful citrus ﬂavor that makes a delightful light soup. Next we tried the crab Rangoon ($7.95),

Published the 2nd and 4th week of every month.

dumplings ﬁlled with crabmeat and cream cheese and fried. The presentation was well done, with the accompanying vegetables cut into interesting geometric shapes. We also tried the satay ($6.95), strips of grilled chicken on bamboo skewers marinated in coconut milk with herbs. They were served with a tasty side dish of peanut sauce and a crunchy cucumber salad. The trick with satay skewers is to get the chicken off the stick without poking yourself in the eye or catapulting your chicken across the room. As a professional, I actually managed to consume two skewers’ worth without incident. Also from the appetizer menu, I sampled the chive dumplings ($5.95), which can be ordered fried or steamed. In fact, most of the menu can be tweaked to your preference. If you like your food on the satanic side, the chef is more than willing to give you a good dose of the hottest of the hot; or if you’re a wimp like me, they can take it down a notch or two so you can enjoy yourself without reaching

for the ﬁre extinguisher. The dumplings were served with a sweet and sour chili garlic sauce, but I opted to use the sweet and sour sauce that came with the Rangoon. As if this weren’t enough, I was persuaded to try a few samples of the combo platter, called treasure of the Thai chef ($14.95), a combination of crab dumplings, the aforementioned chicken satay, moon dumplings, mee krob, Nadia’s rolls, corn and shrimp cakes (good for you spicy types) and golden triangles. My favorite was the mee krob, which looked like a ball of shredded carrots but was actually a delicious orb of noodles. For dinner, there are a large number of choices for both meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Aside from an assortment of entrées, there are columns of curries, fried rice and pasta that can be ordered with beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables — you name it. I went with the yellow curry with chicken ($11.95). The curry was ﬂavorful and chock full of fresh vegetables. I still have half of the order in my refrigerator, and I’m

Photos: Suzi Nash

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

sure it will be just as good the second time around. My dining companion ordered the crispy catﬁsh ($19.95), which she seemed to enjoy. (It was hard for me to tell, as I was trying to keep from slipping into a coma from all the good food I’d consumed. And I needed to save room for dessert ... ) There were some interesting items on the menu that I passed on, such as wild boar and “winning alligator.” I admit, I’m biased: I had alligator in Louisiana and, let me tell you, it didn’t taste like chicken. But that might have been because it was caught and cooked by my Southern girlfriend’s brother, Bubbah, in his swamp out back. For dessert, and I’m glad I saved room, I ordered the coconut custard ($4.95), small cups ﬁlled with coconut milk and custard and baked, then served on a colorfully sauced plate. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how wonderful

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the service was. Our hostess introduced herself and then addressed us by our ﬁrst names all night long. I noticed she did this with the other diners as well. My short-term memory would never get me past the ﬁrst two tables. And if the fellow making local deliveries for the restaurant was any indication, the place is a neighborhood favorite. I didn’t even need to consult the psychic upstairs to know that a return trip to Thai Chef is in my future. ■

If you go Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion

2028 Chestnut St. (215) 568-7058 Open daily for lunch and dinner

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Q on the tube: The political is personal By Victoria A. Brownworth PGN Contributor When 24-year-old Meghan McCain took on right-wing pundit Ann Coulter, it was only a matter of time before the backlash hit. McCain, a budding journalist, is viewed by many as the youth voice of the Republican Party. The 2007 graduate of Columbia University writes for Tina Brown’s “The Daily Beast” and calls herself a “progressive Republican.” She supports gay marriage and stem-cell research and explains that her ideology differs from other Republicans in many areas. She formerly identified as an independent and cast her first vote for John Kerry in 2004, but campaigned for her father in 2008. Last week, McCain asserted that Coulter, long the female face of conservatism, has “perpetuated negative stereotypes about Republicans.” She said Coulter — who called Hillary Clinton a lesbian and John Edwards a faggot, asserts that President Obama is a Muslim and calls liberals “godless” — was “too extreme.” McCain said, “I find her offensive, radical, insulting and confusing — all at the same time.” She also declared the cult of personality that followed Coulter was possibly spurred by the fact that Coulter’s behavior was “like watching a train wreck.” McCain’s comments came after she saw Coulter debate with libertarian talk-show host Bill Maher. (The two long-time friends, despite their political differences, have been giving a debate tour.) Coulter did not respond to McCain, but right-wing talk-show host Laura Ingraham did. Ingraham called McCain “just another Valley Girl gone awry” and joked that McCain didn’t get a role on “The Real World” because “they don’t like plus-sized models.” “The View” invited McCain to respond. Borrowing from Tyra Banks, McCain told Ingraham to “kiss my fat ass.” Prior to making that declaration, which brought huge applause from the audience, McCain asserted that Ingraham had proven her point about the negativity of conservative punditry by turning the political discourse she had started into a personal attack on looks. All Ingraham could counter was, “She’s a useful idiot.” Whether one agrees with McCain’s politics or not, her points about personal attacks are irrefutable. Targeting a woman’s looks as a way to diminish her words is not a new tactic. That women are doing it to other women, however, is disturbing. The question McCain posed to the audience was, What do a woman’s looks have to do with her political perspective? The answer, obviously, is nothing. But the best way to change the subject is to say the female speaker has no gravitas because she is unattractive. Case closed. Only the beautiful get a voice. But McCain, an attractive young woman who is attempting — rightly or wrongly — to bring relevancy to a party made irrelevant precisely because of the extremist, hate-mongering politics of people like Coulter and Ingraham, is now also trying to speak for those girls and women who struggle with their weight. As she told the women on “The View,” she’s battled with weight since childhood, but has adjusted to the reality that she’s a size 8, not a size 0, like Coulter. But she also said the hyper-focus on weight was a distraction from issues that need to be addressed. What the McCain/Coulter/Ingraham fight revealed was, alas, not new: Demeaning women who have something to say that is independent from the — in this case, Republican — mainstream is the easiest way to silence them. As politic gets rougher and more polarized, the attacks will come faster and more furiously. But McCain said what needed to be said: The incivility of extremism doesn’t further political discourse. That Coulter failed to respond and Ingraham had to rely on schoolyard-style bullying makes it clear that McCain was right in her assessment. ■

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

worth watching: FRIDAY No Dumb Questions A poignant and informative documentary about three young children trying to understand their uncle’s transition to being their aunt. 6:30 a.m. on Logo. SATURDAY Ashes to Ashes The latest British offering about a cop who ends up back in 1981 makes for great premises — gay, bi and straight. 8 p.m. on BBC America. SUNDAY Amazing Race Gay activist Dr. Mel White and his gay son, Mike, escaped elimination in India, and White said he really wanted his son to be proud of him. 8 p.m. on CBS. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Philadelphia’s own Jill Scott stars in this adaptation of the best-selling mystery series set in Africa. 8 p.m. on HBO. American Beauty Best Picture winner of 1999, director Sam Mendes’ complex ﬁlm about homophobia and repressed sexuality in American suburbia is riveting from start to surprise ﬁnish. Queer screenwriter Alan Ball also won an Oscar, as did actor Kevin Spacey. 8 p.m. on TNT.

Desperate Housewives Susan’s bi-curiosity was merely March madness. But madness is in the air on Wisteria Lane, as last week ended with Edie being electrocuted. 10 p.m. on ABC. The United States of Tara Tara decides to check into an inpatient facility that specializes in dissociation. As Tara tries hard to delve into her past, her alters are resistant. 10 p.m. on Showtime.

The Real World: Brooklyn Featuring bisexual Sarah, transgender Katelynn and gay boy J.D. Ryan has been redeployed to Iraq and Katelynn is helping him cope. 10 p.m. on MTV. THURSDAY Grey’s Anatomy Where will things go between Callie and Arizona? Will Izzie survive surgery? 9 p.m. on ABC.

MONDAY House This special episode is from the vantage point of the patient who House thinks has locked-in syndrome. 8 p.m. on FOX.

Hell’s Kitchen The lesbian chef, LA, and Andrea are leading the female pack, but one of the women will be on the chopping block tonight. 9 p.m. on FOX.

WEDNESDAY America’s Next Top Model The female and TG models get dressed down by Tyra Banks. 8 p.m. on the CW.

ER Series finale. This was one of the first dramas to have regular LGBT characters and address HIV/AIDS issues, transgender issues, queer domestic violence, hate crimes and homophobia in medical treatment. In this final 331st episode, old faces return to County. 10 p.m. on NBC.

New Adventures of Old Christine Lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes. 8 p.m. on CBS. Better Off Ted Portia de Rossi stars in this hilarious new black comedy. 8:30 p.m. on ABC. American Idol The countdown to the ﬁnals begins. 9 p.m. on FOX.

Queer TV you can always see: All My Children

Reese can see again, thanks to emergency surgery and Zach’s hand-holding. But while she was sedated, she had a dream in which her parents told her she was blind because she didn’t realize that being a lesbian was just a phase. Now she is more determined than ever to win Bianca back. But Zach seems equally determined to win Reese for himself. Monday-Friday 1 p.m. on ABC. As the World Turns

STARTING TO SHOW: “Will & Grace” alum Megan Mullally has a new sitcom, “In The Motherhood,” and this week her character, Rosemary, tries to pass herself off as pregnant because of some perceived perk. We hope Mullally and costar Horatio Sanz (from “SNL”) can make this premise watchable. But seriously, how long before this show drags another “Will & Grace” cast member in to save its ratings? Check it out at 8 p.m. April 2 on ABC. Photo: Vivian Zink/ABC

Since Luke and Noah faced housing discrimination, Luke has been focused on exposing homophobic landlords. But now someone is out to get Luke. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. on CBS. Ellen

Friday, 3 p.m. on NBC. The Rachel Maddow Show

Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. on MSNBC.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

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PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

Diversions

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Your guide to arts and entertainment

Theater

At Home at the Zoo The ﬁrst play by out playwright Edward Albee is staged through April 19 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; (215) 985-0420. Born Yesterday The Walnut Street Theatre presents one of America’s original screwball comedies ,about a business tycoon who goes to Washington, D.C., trying to break into the “specialinterest” business with an ethically challenged senator, through April 26, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 5743550. The Berenstain Bears’ Family Matters If you have small children and you want to teach them stuff without actually having to talk to them, point their cherub-like faces at this show, based on the successful book characters, through April 4 at the Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Bus Stop The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater presents William Inge’s classic romantic comedy about an unlikely group of characters thrown together in Grace’s small-town diner during a howling snowstorm, through March 28, 614 Fairview Ave., Swarthmore; (866) 8114111. Defiance Bristol Riverside Theatre presents the area premiere of the second play in Pulitzer Prize-winner John Patrick Shanley’s trilogy, which began with “Doubt,” through April 12, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol; (215) 785-0100.

A Few Good Men Ritz Theatre Company presents the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, through April 4, 915 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn, N.J.; (856) 8585230. Fresh Fish Festival B. Someday Productions presents the second year of its short-play festival, April 1-19 at The Walking Fish Theatre, 2509 Frankford Ave.; www. walkingﬁshtheatre.com. Happy Days: A New Musical Milwaukee circa 1959 comes alive through March 29 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.; (215) 7905847. The Irish and How They Got That Way The Kimmel Center hosts an irreverent but affectionate history of the Irish in America that mingles laughter and sentiment in a tapestry of classical songs and stories, as told by Pulitzer Prizewinning author Frank McCourt, through March 29 at Kimmel’s Innovation Studio, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. Iron Kisses The heartfelt and often funny exploration of the relationships between parents and children runs through April 5 at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler; (215) 6540200. The Karma Cookie 1812 Productions presents a comedy following two British brothers around the globe on their quest for enlightenment ... sort of,

through March 29 at The Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St.; (215) 5929560. The Prisoner of Second Avenue The Walnut Street Theatre and Isis Productions present the Neil Simon comedy, through March 29 at Studio 5, 825 Walnut St.; (215) 574-3550. Scorched The Wilma Theater presents the East Coast premiere of the epic drama/mystery written by acclaimed LebaneseCanadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad, through March 29, 265 S. Broad St.; (215) 546-7824. William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead Shakespeare ﬁghts zombies in the East Coast premiere production, through March 28 at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place; (215) 735-0630. A Year with Frog and Toad Arden Theatre Company presents the revival of the smash-hit musical based on the Newberyand Caldecott-honored children’s books by Arnold Lobel, through April 19 at 40 N. Second St.; (215) 922-1122.

Music classical

Gil Shaham Returns The Philadelphia Orchestra celebrates the beginning of spring with special concerts at 8 p.m. March 27-28 and 2 p.m. March 29 at Kimmel’s Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 7905847. Bobby Watson The Kimmel Center presents the acclaimed jazz saxophonist at 8 p.m.

THE RIVER’S END: “Riverdance,” the highly successful blockbuster celebration of Irish music and dancing that requires no arm movement, is giving its farewell area performances March 31-April 5 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. Michael Flatley’s career, however, is still going strong, so expect to see more productions eerily similar to this one in the future. For tickets, visit www.kimmelcenter.org or call (215) 790-5847.

March 28 at Kimmel’s Perelman Theater, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847.

Bodine, at 7:30 p.m. March 317-1000. 27 at Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St.; (215) 928-0770. B.B. King The iconic blues singerVerdi Requiem + guitarist performs at 7:30 Simone Higdon p.m. April 1 and 2 at The singer, actress and Mendelssohn Club of Keswick Theatre, 291 N. daughter of Nina Simone Philadelphia presents Keswick Ave., Glenside; performs at 7:30 p.m. (215) 572-7650. Verdi’s Requiem paired March 27 at World Cafe with a world premiere by Live, 3025 Walnut St.; Jennifer Higdon, at 7:30 Cowboy Junkies (215) 222-1710. The alternative rock group p.m. March 29 at Kimmel’s performs at 7:30 p.m. Verizon Hall, 260 S. Broad The Oddity Faire: A St.; (215) 790-5847. April 1 at Scottish Rite Mutated Mini-fest Auditorium, 315 White Les Claypool, Saul Previn Plays and Horse Pike, Collingswood, Williams and other fringe Conducts musicians perform at 8 p.m. N.J.; (856) 858-1000. The Philadelphia Orchestra March 27 at the Electric presents conductor André Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.; Val Emmich Previn, highlighting his The rock singer best known (215) 627-1332. talents as conductor and, for his role as Jesse on “Ugly Betty” performs at 8 for the ﬁrst time since 1969, Lesley Gore as orchestral soloist, at 8 p.m. April 2 at M Room, 15 The out 1960s pop singer p.m. April 2 and 4 and 2 W. Girard Ave.; (215) 739performs at 8 p.m. March p.m. April 3 at Kimmel’s 28 at Keswick Theatre, 291 5577. Verizon Hall, 260 S. N. Keswick Ave., Glenside; Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. (215) 572-7650.

Music

other

Ami Verrill The out singer-songwriter performs in the round with Nancy Micciulla, Kevin McQuiston and Blair

Rick Springfield The ’80s rock singerguitarist performs at 9 p.m. March 28 at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa’s Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; (609)

Exhibits

Collective Aphrodite Gallery, Philadelphia’s showcase for erotic ﬁne arts, presents a staff art show through May 24 at Passional Toys, 620 S. Fifth St.; (215) 829-4986.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Notices Send notices at least one week in advance to: Diversions, PGN, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147; fax them to (215) 925-6437; or e-mail them to diversions@epgn. com. Notices cannot be taken over the phone.

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

L’arte d’alluminar Haverford College Library Special Collections presents an exhibition of illustrations of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” through April 22, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford; (610) 896-1161. Making Arrangements Wexler Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new sculptural works by the Vancouver-based ceramic artist Dirk Staschke, through April 25, 201 N. Third St.; (215) 923-7030.

The Many Faces of Stereotypes Impressions of an Age: Verdadism Art Gallery Ukiyo-e Prints from hosts an exhibition of the Berman Collection New York-born artist The Philip and Muriel Soraida’s new series of Berman Museum of Art at drawings, through April Ursinus College presents 30, 220 S. Berlin Road, an exhibition of woodblock Lindenwold, N.J.; (856) print (ukiyo-e) art made 346-3131. popular during Japan’s Edo Period, through Pulp Function April 17, 601 E. Main St., Fred Beans Gallery at Collegeville; (610) 409Michener Art Museum 3500. presents a wide variety of artistic expressions using Ion Zupcu: Works on handmade paper pulp, Paper recycled paper, paper cuts, Gallery 339 presents an cardboard, papier-mâché exhibition of still-life and folded paper, through photography, through May June 28, 138 S. Pine St., 16, 339 S. 21st St.; (215) Doylestown; (215) 340731-1530. 9800.

PGN

Sendak on Sendak The Rosenbach Museum and Library hosts an exhibition exploring the work of gay artist/author Maurice Sendak, through May 3 at 2008-10 Delancey Place; (215) 732-1600.

1114 Walnut St.; (215) 4962662 ext. 136.

Film

Diamonds Are Forever The 1971 007 film starring Sean Connery is screened at 2 p.m. March 29 at The Yuichi Hibi: Neco Colonial Theatre, 227 Gallery 339 presents Hibi’s Bridge St., Phoenixville; photographic exhibition that (610) 917-0223. evokes the menace, beauty and mystery of urban Casino Royale and landscapes at night, through Quantum of Solace May 16, 339 S. 21st St. The 007 films starring (215) 731-1530. Daniel Craig are screened at 8 p.m. March 30 at the Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922-5483. Philadelphia Liberty Community College Dance Challenge The movie premiere is North American Same-Sex hosted by comedian Rev. Partner Dance Association presents a same-sex dance Bob Levy at 8 p.m. April 1 exhibition, open to all at the Trocadero Theatre, levels of dancers of all 1003 Arch St.; (215) 922ages, with a portion of the 5483. evening proceeds, including a silent auction, benefiting the Sapphire Fund, at 9 a.m. and 1 and 7:30 p.m. March Elie Wiesel 28 at the Pennsylvania The author of “A Mad Desire to Dance” hosts a Convention Center, 1101 Arch St.; (215) 418-4700. book event at 7:30 p.m. March 30 at Central Shut Up and Dance Library, 1901 Vine St.; Dancers from the (215) 686-5322. Pennsylvania Ballet Steve Coll perform a show to benefit The author of “The Bin MANNA at 8 p.m. March Ladens: An Arabian Family 28 at The Forrest Theatre,

Dance

Pick

Stir hosts two must-see events on March 28. Max Roxx Records and out songwriter/producer Andy Kahn present the release of “Rendezvous With Me,” a long-lost single from the late disco singer Karen Young, 9-11 p.m. DJ Zathan, whose remix work is featured on the CD, will spin at the event. Afterwards, stick around for the Mr. Gay Stir contest at 11 p.m., hosted by John Caputo, Mr. Gay Philadelphia 2008, at 1705 Chancellor St.; (215) 732-2700.

Books

PAGE 35

in the American Century” hosts a book event at 7:30 p.m. March 31 at Central Library, 1901 Vine St.; (215) 686-5322.

496-9001. Philly Roller Derby Double Header Bout The Philthy Britches take on the Hustlers and the Board Street Butchers go up against the Heavy Metal Hookers from 5-9 Frontline Philly’s Dance p.m. March 28 at The 23rd Review Showcase Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd Frontline Philly is holding St.; www.phillyrollergirls. informal auditions March 27 com. for dancers from all genres for a June 6 showcase The Scene to highlight up-andTLBTB Productions’ coming artists, performers newest LGBTQ party in and choreographers. Philly throws down from For information and 10 p.m.-2 a.m. March 28 locations, contact at Vesuvio, 736 S. Eighth Frontlinephilly@gmail.com. St.; (215) 922-8380.

Auditions

Cabaret

All That Drag! UPenn’s Queer Student Alliance hosts a drag show to beneﬁt MANNA and the Vivek A. Patel Foundation for Depression and Bipolar Alliance from 7-9:30 p.m. at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.; (215) 573-3234.

Etc.

Joe Rogan The comic best known for his work on “Fear Factor” performs March 27-28 at Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St.; (215)

The Fags and Hags Comedy Show Comedian Katie Kohler with guests Neil McGarry, Joanne Filan and Janice Kamalski bring the laughs at 10 p.m. April 1 at Stir, 1705 Chancellor St.; (215) 732-2700. Steve Harvey’s Radio Star 105.3 WDAS-FM presents stand-up comedy and a singing competition hosted by one of the Original Kings of Comedy at 7 p.m. April 2 at Kimmel’s Perelman Theater, 260 S. Broad St.; (215) 790-5847. ■

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

PAGE 36

Meeting Place A community bulletin board of activities, facilities and organizations

Community centers ■ The Attic Youth Center: For LGBT and questioning youth and their friends and allies. Groups meet and activities are held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; case management, HIV testing and smoking cessation are available Monday through Friday. See the Youth section for more events. 255 S. 16th St.; (215) 545-4331 ■ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center at the University of Pennsylvania 3907 Spruce St.; (215) 898-5044; center@dolphin.upenn.edu, Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. ■ Rainbow Room — Bucks County’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Youth Center: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Doylestown Planned Parenthood, The Atrium, Suite 2E, 301 S. Main St., Doylestown; (215) 348-0558 ext. 65; rainbowroom@ppbucks.org. ■ William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center: 1315 Spruce St.; (215) 732-2220; www.waygay.org. Peer counseling: Monday through Friday, 6-9 p.m. Library hours: Mondays 3-6 p.m., Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays 3-9 p.m., Thursdays 3-9 p.m., Fridays 3-6 p.m., Saturdays noon-6 p.m. Volunteers: New Orientation: First Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.; Volunteer Velada, third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

Health Anonymous, free, confidential HIV testing Spanish/English counselors offer testing 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, 166 W. Lehigh Ave.; (215) 763-8870 ext. 6000. AIDS Services In Asian Communities Provides HIV-related services to Asians and Pacific Islanders at 340 N. 12th St., suite 205; (2215) 536-2424. Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative Free, anonymous HIV testing from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays at 1207 Chestnut St., fifth floor; (215) 851-1822 or (866) 2223871. Spanish/English. HIV testing Free, anonymous testing and counseling is offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment at AIDS Resource, 520 W. Fourth St., suite 2A, Williamsport;

Key numbers ■ AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania: (215) 587-9377 ■ AIDS Law Project of Southern New Jersey: (856) 933-9500 ext. 221 ■ AIDS Library: (215) 985-4851

(570) 322-8448. HIV treatment Free HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment for Philadelphia residents are available from 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Health Center No. 2, 1720 S. Broad St.; (215) 685-1803. HIV health insurance help Access to free medications, conﬁdential HIV testing available at 17 MacDade Blvd., suite 108, Collingdale; Medical Ofﬁce Building, 722 Church Lane, Yeadon; and 630 S. 60th St.; (610) 586-9077. Mazzoni Center Free, anonymous HIV testing; HIV/AIDS care and treatment, case management and support groups; 1201 Chestnut St.; (215) 563-0652. www.mazzonicenter.org. Washington West Project Free, anonymous HIV testing. Walk-ins welcome 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 1201 Locust St.; (215) 985-9206. Gloria Casarez, (215) 686-2194; Gloria. Casarez@phila.gov; Fax: (215) 686-2555 ■ Mazzoni Center: (215) 563-0652; www.mazzonicenter.org ■ Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine: (215) 563-0658

■ ACLU of Pennsylvania: (215) 5921513

■ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Philadelphia): (215) 572-1833

■ AIDS Treatment hot line: (215) 5452212

■ Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations: (215) 686-4670

■ Barbara Gittings Gay and Lesbian Collection at the Independence Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library: (215) 685-1633

■ Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force: (215) 772-2000

■ The COLOURS Organization Inc. 112 N. Broad St., 11th floor; (215) 4960330. ■ Equality Advocates Pennsylvania: (215) 731-1447; (866) LGBTLAW ■ Equality Forum: (215) 732-3378 ■ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Peer Counseling Services: (215) 732-TALK ■ Mayor’s liaison to LGBT communities:

■ Philadelphia Police Department liaison — Chief Inspector James Tiano: (215) 685-3655 ■ Philadelphia Police Liaison Committee: (215) 494-LGBT; ppd.lgbt@gmail.com ■ Philly Pride Presents: (215) 875-9288 ■ SPARC — Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition: (717) 920-9537 ■ Transgender Health Action Coalition: (215) 732-1207 (staffed 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, and 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)

Activism/Politics

ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) Meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St.; (215) 386-1981; www.critpath.org/actup. Delaware Valley Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Seeks activists and supporters of church-state separation. Holds monthly meetings and events; (856) 863-3061; www.dvau.org. Equality Advocates Philadelphia Holds a volunteer night second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., 1211 Chestnut St., Suite 605; (215) 731-1447; www.equalitypa.org. Green Party of Philadelphia Holds general meetings fourth Tuesday of each month (except April) at 6:30 p.m., 4134 Lancaster Ave.; (215) 243-7103; www.gpop.org. Log Cabin Republican Club of Philadelphia Meets at 7 p.m. third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Community Center; (215) 4655677; www.phillylogcabin.org. Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club Meets seasonally; (215) 760-7184; www. libertycity.org. OutFront! Board of directors meets third Monday of the month; (215) 842-0343.

Arts

Gay Men’s Book Discussion Group MEETS AT 6:30 P.M. FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MOnth at the Independence Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 18 S. Seventh St.; (215) 685-1633. Library Book Club Meets to discuss a new book at 7 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Chorus rehearses from 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays; (215) 731-9230; auditions@pgmc.org. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Opera Club Meets to share and listen to recordings at 6:30 p.m. on last Saturday of the month; (215) 224-6995. Philadelphia Voices of Pride Philadelphia’s ﬁrst mixed GLBT chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the William Way Center; (888) 505-7464; www.pvop.org. Queer Writer’s Collective Workshop and discussion group meets 4-6 p.m. on fourth Saturday of the month at the William Way Center. Women’s Book Group Meets ﬁrst Thursday of the month at 6:45 p.m. at Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; brassygrrl@hotmail.com.

Recreation

Diversity Dancers Ballroom dancers meet the ﬁrst Sunday of the month for tea dance and lessons. Other events scheduled throughout the year; (215) 922-2129; DiversityDancers@aol.com.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009 last Tuesday of the month at Joe Coffee Bar, 1100 Walnut St.; (215) 592-7384. Mornings OUT LGBT Senior Social Activities for sexual-minority seniors are held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the William Way Center. PhilaVentures Philadelphia’s GLBT outdoor group meets for a hike in Wissahickon Valley Park on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Borders Books, Music and Café, 8701 Germantown Ave.; (215) 271-8822. Rainbow Room A meeting/activity night held for LGBTQ youth and their friends Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. at Planned Parenthood in Doylestown; (215) 3480558. Social XChange A social group for sexual minorities ages 1323 meets every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at 1201 Chestnut St., 15th ﬂoor; (215) 496-0330

Sports

Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club Meets for Tuesday and Thursday practice at Greene Field, Howell Street and Moore Road, West Chester; www.brandywinerugby.org. City of Brotherly Love Softball League GLBT softball league serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Games are played Sundays, beginning in April, in Fairmount Park; (215) 4622575; www.cblsl.org. Delaware Grifﬁns Women’s football team seeks players; (302) 6339054; www.delawaregrifﬁns.com. Frontrunners Running club meets Saturday mornings at 9:30 for a run and brunch. Lloyd Hall, No. 1 Boathouse Row; www.frontrunnersphila.org.

Friday Feast and Fun Dinner hosted by St. John’s Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. second Friday of the month, 24 N. Ridge Ave., Ambler; (215) 576-8008. Gay Coffee Hours Meets from 6-9 p.m. on second Thursday of the month at Joe Coffee, 1100 Walnut St.; (215) 592-7384. Haverford College’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance Open meetings 10-11 p.m. Mondays in the lounge in Jones Basement at Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave.; (610) 896-4938.

Philadelphia Fins Swim Team Male and female swimmers meet at 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays in Center City; (610) 564-6661; www. philadelphia-ﬁns.org.

Long Yang Club Philadelphia Social organization for gay Asians and their friends holds monthly socials; P.O. Box 401, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105; www.longyangclub. org/philadelphia.

Philadelphia Gay Bowling League Meets 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays September through April at Brunswick Zone, 1328 Delsea Drive, Deptford, N.J.; (856) 889-1434; www. philagaybowling.com.

Metropolitan Community Church Christian education program is held Wednesdays from 6-10 p.m. at the William Way Center.

Philadelphia Gay Flag Football New group forming. Contact Jered at gayﬂagfootball@gmail.com or (214) 770-5373. Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Football Club Team seeks players; all skill levels welcome; (215) 913-7531; info@phillygryphons.org. Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association Meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday at William Way Center; (215) 755-2641; into@plta.us.

Gay and Lesbian Scrabble Players in the tri-state area gather for socializing and friendly/competitive games; ScrabbleGroup@excite.com.

Rainbow Riders of the Delaware Valley Motorcycle club meets regularly; (215) 836-0440; www.groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbowridersdv/.

Men’s Knitting Circle Social and knitting group meets from 6-8 p.m.

Delaware Valley Pink Pistols For LGBT people dedicated to legal, safe and responsible use of ﬁrearms for self-defense; meets at 2 p.m. on third Saturday of the month at Classic Indoor Range, 1310 Industrial Blvd., Southhampton; (267) 386-8907; www. pinkpistols.org.

LGBTQ and Friends Activity Group Meets at 7 p.m. on third Friday of the month to plan outings and potlucks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County.

Philly Gay Hockey Association Philadelphia Phury seeks players; (917) 656-1936; phury@gayhockey.org.

Male Oenophile Group Male group forming to discuss, appreciate and taste various wines. Will meet once a month to investigate the nuances and glories of the fermented grape. Call (267) 230-6750 for more information.

Delaware Pride Meets at 7 p.m. on ﬁrst Thursday of the month at the United Church of Christ, 300 E. Main St., Newark, Del.; (800) 292-0429.

Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club GLBT and allied soccer club; practices Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon and Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. at Edgeley Fields in Fairmount Park;www.falcons-soccer.org.

Gay-friendly Scrabble Club Meets from 6-11 p.m. in the P.I.C. Building, 42nd and Locust streets; (215) 382-0789.

Indepedence Squares GLBT square dance club, modern Western square dancing. Monthly open house. Tuesday classes in the fall; Lutheran Church, 2111 Sansom St.; (215) 735-5812; www.independencesquares.org.

BiUnity Philadelphia area social and support network for bisexuals, their family members and friends meets at 7 p.m. the ﬁrst and third Tuesdays of the month at the William Way Center; www. biunity.org.

Latina/o Virtual Community Local listserv offers various information and resources; Zorros_mail@yahoo.com; LatinPhilly LGBT@yahoogroups.com.

Philadelphia Phoenix Women’s football team seeks players; (267) 6799535; www.philadelphiaphoenix.org.

Humboldt Society: Lesbian and Gay Naturalists Meets second Thursday of the month at the William Way Center; (215) 985-1456; www. humboldtsociety.org.

Etc.

AIDS Law Project Provides free legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS and sponsors free monthly seminars on work and housing; 1211 Chestnut St., suite 600; (215) 587-9377; www.aidslawpa.org.

Gay and Lesbian Bowling League Bowls at 8 p.m. Thursdays in the Norristown area; call Doug Schneidig; (716) 864-4393.

Gay Bridge Club Non-beginners group meets Monday afternoons at the William Way Center; (215) 985-4835.

Gay Opera Guys of Philly New group for opera appreciation meets last Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in Roxborough/ Andorra area; (215) 483-1032.

encouraged to e-mail michelesimone19144@yahoo. com.

Rainbow Rollers Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 9 p.m. on Tuesdays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467. South Jersey Gay Bowling League Gay and lesbian bowling league meets 7 p.m. on Fridays September-April at Laurel Lanes, 2825 Rte. 73 South, Maple Shade, N.J.; (856) 778-7467. Spartan Wrestling Club The gay wresting team meets from 7-9 p.m. Mondays at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St.; (215) 732-4545; www.phillyspartans. com. Team NJ Meets at 7:30 p.m. third Thursday of the month at the Pride Center of New Jersey; (908) 234-1481. Team Philadelphia Meets at 8 p.m. second Wednesday of the month at the William Way Center; www.teamphiladelphia. org. Women’s Table Tennis New group forming. Interested women are

Our Night Out A casual social networking party of LGBT professionals and allies meets in a different Philadelphia hot spot each month. To receive monthly event invitations, send e-mail to OurNightOutPhilly@gmail.com. Philadelphia Bar Association Legal Advice Offered from 5-8 p.m. on third Wednesday of the month; (215) 238-6333. Philadelphia Prime Timers Club for mature gay and bisexual men and their admirers meets regularly; (610) 344-0853; www. primetimersphiladelphia.org. Philadelphians MC Club for leather men and women meets 7:30 p.m. first and third Mondays of the month at The Pit at The Bike Stop, 201 S. Quince St.; (215) 627-1662. Philly Paw Pals Gay and lesbian dog owners and their dogs meet on first Saturday of the month at a dog park; (215) 618-5290; PhillyPawPals@aol.com. Rainbow Amateur Radio Association ARRL affiliated; private; weekly HF nets, monthly newsletter, e-mail server; (302) 5392392; www.rara.org. Rock ’n’ Roll Queer Bar Party A party for gay and lesbian rockers with host Psydde Delicious starts at 10 p.m. every second Wednesday at N. 3rd, Third and Brown streets; (215) 413-3666. Silver Foxes Social and educational group for gays and lesbians 50 and older meets from 3-5 p.m. on fourth Sunday of the month at the William Way Center. Stonewall Model Railroad Club Meets monthly; (215) 769-4230; k3k@yahoo. com. Temple University Lambda Alliance Meets from 7-8 p.m. on Thursdays at The Village outside the Lambda office, SAC 205, 1755 N. 13th St.

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

PAGE 37

Classifieds

With Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Personals

Fannie Mae CEO defends retention bonuses By Alan Zibel The Associated Press Mortgage giant Fannie Mae’s chief executive warned last Friday that canceling bonuses for workers at institutions receiving federal bailout money could undermine efforts to stabilize the U.S. housing market. Herbert Allison, who was installed by government regulators as CEO of the Washington-based company last fall, sent a companywide e-mail last Friday defending Fannie Mae’s bonus program. “I am deeply concerned that eliminating our retention plan would jeopardize our ability to fulﬁll the mission the government has given us to address the housing crisis,” he wrote, citing President Barack Obama’s plan to prevent up to 9 million foreclosures. The award programs at Fannie

and sibling company Freddie Mac, enacted shortly after their September federal takeover, initially rufﬂed few feathers. But now the generous paychecks are proving politically touchy as lawmakers and the public seethe over roughly $165 million in bonuses paid out by bailed-out insurance giant American International Group. Allison, who is not receiving a salary as CEO, wrote that the bonuses — including more than $1 million each to four top executives — were needed to “ensure we maintain the skills and experience we need to help keep the mortgage market operating.” Employees, he wrote, “deserve tremendous credit for staying here and demonstrating unswerving dedication to the public interest despite” uncertainty about the company’s long-term future and the stock awards that have become

worthless. But Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, urged the government to cancel retention bonuses for hundreds of employees at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Massachusetts Democrat asked the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates both ﬁrms, to eliminate the bonuses approved for this year and next. Frank also wants employees to repay bonuses from last fall, after the two companies were placed under government control. The public “rightfully insists that large bonuses such as these awarded by institutions receiving public funds at a time of a serious economic downturn cannot continue,” Frank wrote in the letter dated March 19 and released by his ofﬁce the following day. A spokesperson for Fannie Mae

declined comment. Over two years, Fannie Mae plans to pay retention bonuses totaling at least $1 million apiece to four key executives as part of a broad plan to keep employees from leaving. Freddie Mac is planning similar awards, but has yet to detail which executives will beneﬁt. The two companies have been hobbled by skyrocketing loan defaults. Fannie Mae recently requested $15 billion in federal aid, while Freddie Mac has sought a total of almost $45 billion. The government seized control of the companies in September and installed new chief executives. After the takeover, regulators designed a bonus program to encourage workers to stay at their jobs. “It was critical to retain their most important asset — their employees — who are being asked to play a vital role in the nation’s economic

recovery,” James Lockhart, Federal Housing Finance Agency director, said in a statement earlier this week. “As the previous senior management teams left, it would have been catastrophic to lose the next layers down and other highly experienced employees.” But Frank cast doubt on that argument. “In this troubled economy, and in this job market, it is difﬁcult to imagine that the companies would not be able to ﬁnd competent and talented replacements for anyone who chooses to leave,” he said. House lawmakers last week voted decisively to impose a 90percent tax on millions of dollars in employee bonuses paid by AIG and other bailed-out companies. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate and Obama quickly signaled general support for the concept. ■

Location! Location! Location! This week’s featured property

Beds: 3 Baths: 3.5 Age of property: 6 years Square Footage: 1,475 Cost: $214,900 Realtor: Alicia Fox Real Estate Co: ReMax of Wilmington Phone: 302-657-8000 Direct: 302-419-5477

Beautiful townhome in Bristol Place. Huge eat-in kitchen, ﬁnished basement w/full bath. Great location, close to all major highways. Move-in condition.

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Philadelphia Gay News assumes responsibility for errors in classified ads only when notified by noon the Tuesday after the ad first appears. To receive credit for errors, please notify PGN by then. Credit only will be extended in the form of additional advertising space. Any cash refunds, for any reason, are subject to a $10 service charge. PGN will publish no classified ad — in any category — that contains sexually explicit language. Obviously excluded are traditional four-letter words that relate to sexual activity. Other words may be excluded at the discretion of the publisher, who reserves the right to edit or rewrite any ad that, in his opinion, violates this policy or its intent.

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CLASSIFIEDS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

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Real Estate

APRIL 18 - 24, 2008

REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE

VENTNOR, NJ (HEIGHTS) PRIVATE RETREAT IN PAOLI lot Private (swimming pool). in5 4House Bed & 2 adjacent Bath Quiet Retreat Bedroom, 2 bath, Laundry Kitchen, DinPaoli. Get away to your homeRm, in this completely ing Room, room room.private Living redone 4 bedSun 2 bath home&3great car gagage, room, and lower Upper decks. 2nd r-2 wooded setting like & living in a bed and breakfast! bedrooms, 1 bath, great room, sun at room, & To view pictures visit current lisings http:// deck 1st r. 3 bedrooms,215-439-3168 bath, living room, amy.mazaleski.lnfre.com Long foyer, diningReal area, kitchen, laundry room, and and Foster Estate, 215-654-5900. deck. Central Air. Call 215-468-9166 after 6 _______________________________33-13 pm. $950,000.00. Land For Sale: Cabin Front Creek w/ 5 acres -_______________________________32-17 $299/ month. It’s time to invest in your family! REHOBOTH BEACH, Back to Basics: Campﬁres, quietDE walks, sun14 x 17 x 25 add. Many improv. 3 BR, sets. Callwith for 11 details. Christmas & Associates 1.5 BA. Sht. dist. to beach. Ask $62,900. Call 800-229-7843 www.LandandCamps.com 20 302-644-3331, % down, 15 yrs.lv. mess. or 302-381-2797. _______________________________32-16 _______________________________33-13 PASSYUNK Florida Land Bargain of SQUARE the Century! 2 acre Spectacularly rehabbed w/ beautiwaterfront homesite only townhome $69,900. (appraised ful$169,900) h/w oors Private, & magni centlycommunity styled living and at gated with 2 dining roomlakes. through to large EIK &out tted recreational Municipal water sewer. with taxes. graniteJust counter tops, Orlando! wood cabinets, Low 90 minutes Exceldishwasher, and Call stainless Second lent ﬁnancing. nowappliances. 1-866-352-2249. oor features two spacious bedrooms and FLlandbargains.com huge bath boasts custom tiled shower, extra _______________________________33-13 deep soaking tub. Nestled in quickly growing Passyunk Square. Call Reggie @ Century 21 Newport Realty (215) 752-7660. _______________________________32-17 Open House $315K Fabulous Grad Hosp 2BR 728 S Smedley St, 19146 Sun 4/20 1-3pm _______________________________32-16 Bank Repos & Foreclosures! 1-4 bedroom Homes from $25,000! Great Locations! Payment from $199/month! For listings & Information 800-604-8363. _______________________________32-16 NEW Single-Family homes in active adult (55 plus) community in historic Smyrna, Delaware, near Beach and Bays. From $99,000. 302-6595800 or see www.bonayrehomes.com _______________________________32-16 5 bedroom, 2 Baths Bank Repo only $45,000! Payments from $199/month! 5% down, 20 years @8%apr. For listings 800-604-8363. _______________________________32-16

HOMES FROM $10,000! Potter County11 acres borders State Forest Foreclosures for sale!Summit. 1-4 bedrooms Land near Keating Greatavailable! hunting, Thesetohomes must sell! For Listings Call perc 800close several trout streams, electric, 706-1762 ext. 6888. Owner ﬁnancing. 800approved. $51,500. _______________________________32-16 668-8679 ATTENTION OUTDOORMEN _______________________________33-13 NYS Old Scout Camp 15 Ac on Lake- $39,900 NEW CABINS- $19,900 Fishing & Hunting off limits until now! A sportsman’s dream. Limited time offer- call now! Christmas & Associates 800-229-7843 www.landandcamps.com _______________________________32-16 HERKIMER, NY 94.4 Acre dairy farm. 4 bedroom house, 85 stall cow barn, 4100’ paved road frontage. Great views, open elds. $236,000. www. helderbergrealty.us 518-861-6541. _______________________________32-16

MONTANA LAND BARGAINS 20AC with Utilities & Country Road was $99,900 Now $69,900 BLM access. Deer & elk galore! Call to view 877-229-7840 www. WesternSkiesLand.com _______________________________32-16 GOLF SIDE SC HOME Luxury four bedroom, four bath. Fully furnished. Mountain and lake views. $678,000. Call Dave 602-758-9062. _______________________________32-16 72 acres along McKean/Potter County line near Shinglehouse. Mostly wooded, some open area, includes old hunting cabin, electric, $199,000. Field and Stream RE. 800-668-8679. _______________________________32-16

SALE SALE

REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE

SALE SALE

PGN

Andy Mariano

6737 Harbison Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19149 (215) 333-5200 Main (215) 333-6012 Main Fax

Mike Jenofsky

Loan Ofﬁcer

(267) 341-1066 Direct Phone (267) 341-1067 Direct Fax Toll Free (800) 559-2514 x1066 Email: mjenofsky@fpms.com

PGN

There are easier ways to get noticed...

SALE SALE

Let CHRIS CHRIS RISS RISSuse his Experience, Enthusiasm, and Contacts to sell your place or ﬁnd your new beach home. Most Transactions Award

CHRIS RISS makes it happen in Direct: 302-226-6655 REHOBOTH!

PREFERRED • FREE Listings by Email...DAILY! • Negotiable Commissions!

Direct Line 610-789-0982 Office 610-325-4100 E-Mail: sold.andy@verizon.net

REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE

Lingo: Lingo: 302-227-3883 302-227-3883

ChrisRiss@JackLingo.com

www.RehobothBeachHouses.com

Rates have D R O P P E D

Time to reﬁnance, consolidate debt, or buy NOW! Ask about our no closing cost option for buying a home.

Mike McKeown Email: mike.mckeown@mindspring.com 1-888-533-9890 Licesensed by Dept. of Banking/Insurance in NJ, PA, DE and NY

The COOLEST homes in Philadelphia’s HOTTEST neighborhoods. g l de enin o M Op nd ra

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Schoolhouse Lane & Ridge Avenue East Falls 215.844.8888 Brewerytown Square B R E W E R Y TO W N 215.765-2800 Brand New 2-3 Bedroom Townhomes with Garages Up to 1,700 sq. ft. From the Mid $200’s Tour our Decorated Models

City location with the finest features of a suburban townhome 2-3 Bedroom homes with garages (up to 1,710 sq. ft.) from the low $300’s 3 Bedroom homes with garages (up to 3,400 sq. ft.) from the mid $500’s

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Deck or balcony with each home

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10 year tax abatement

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Free Center City Shuttle

The Villas & Regency at Packer Park SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 215.389.9881 Spacious New One Floor Living & Distinctive Townhomes with Garages Up to 1,686 sq. ft. From the Mid $300’s

The Arbours at Eagle Pointe S O M E R TO N 215.698.4540 A Lifestyle Community for Adults 55 & Better From the Mid $300’s

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Want to let mom, dad and all of your exs know you’re tying the knot?

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

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Open Houses Sunday MARCH 29, 2009

SALE

Heights of Collingswood

Noon - 1:00 242 S 13th St Units C/F. Furness Flats. Large 1 and 2 bed, 1 bath. last two units left in this highly desirable building. Low fees and taxes .......Starting at only $255,0000

507 S 15th St. Cute 2 bd., 2 ba. home located in the Rittenhouse Square area. Full basement and side garden. Lowest price in the area. .........A steal at only $250,000

1222 Spruce St Unit #3. Large open 2 bd. 1 ba. condo with low taxes and fees. ................................................................................................................$350,000

1:30 - 2:30

432 Brown St. “New Listing First Time Open” Parking, Parking, Parking. This newer move-in condition 3 bd, 2 1/2 ba. townhouse comes with (4) four car parking. The extra deep lot runs through to Olive St. A large deck and rear garden off the kitchen will add to your living enjoyment.

See this one before it is gone. ................................Priced to sell at only $400,000

238 S 13th St. Unit G100 “George T. Sale Condo” Unique Garden level 1 bd, 1 ba. unit w/ private entrance.. Low fees & Tax Abatement. Lowest price 1 bd. in Wash. Sq. West.......................................................................................$200,000 416 S 10th St. NEW LISTING. Large update 4 bd. 2ba. with huge garden and wonderfully roof deck with city skyline views. .........................................$800,000

3:00 - 4:00 700 S. 10th Unit 3A Two bedroom, one bath, loft style condo with new kitchen and bath. GARAGE parking. Condo building from the movie “PHILADELPHIA” Low taxes and fees .................................................................................$425,000

Enjoy all the comforts of home. The Ultimate in Lifestyle. Convenient to Routes 38, 76, 70, I-676 the New Jersey turnpike and 295. Just minutes from robust downtown Philadelphia, Collingswood is rich in historical associations Neighborhood cafes and quaint shops line the streets symbolic of an earlier time. Our newly renovated apartments feature upgraded Kitchens and Bathrooms. We are located across the street from Newton Lake Park and many activities including ﬁshing, boating, and jogging trails. · · · · ·

Free shuttle to PATCO Speed line 24 hour state of the art ﬁtness center On site dry cleaners On site food market Garage parking available

· · · ·

Tennis court/Swim Club Pet Friendly Flexible lease terms Utilities included

Ofﬁce 856-854-4112 • Fax 856-854-9390

Search all Philadelphia area listings @ www.thephillyrealtors.com

Open House - March 29, 12-2 pm

Dan Tobey

The Curtis Center 170 W. Independence Mall , Suite L-44 Philadelphia, PA 19106

1129 Spruce

215.546.2700 Business • 267.238.1061 Direct 215.432.7151 Cell • 215.546.7728 Fax dtobey@cbpref.com

E-mail us: pgn@epgn.com

PGN

1608 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

AVENUE OF THE ARTS 1326 SPRUCE ST #2903 (Center City One)-2br, 2 bth, 29th ﬂ views $435,000 Tom Gangemi

Send us your wedding/civil union/ commitment ceremony announcement and we’ll share it with the City of Brotherly Love.

E-mail information to editor@epgn.com or fax us at (215) 925-6437.

BELLA VISTA 738 S. Mildred St-Cute 2 bed/1 bath in Bella Vista, deck off master bedroom, priced to sell!! $300,000 Kera Ritter GRADUATE HOSPITAL 923 S. 17th-Attn Investors!! Triplex renovation started $260,000 Janis Dubin OLD CITY 244-48 N. 3rd, UNIT 3B – Corner unit condo, parking included $225,000 Kera Ritter RITTENHOUSE 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ -2 br/den. 2 bth, newly renovated, with park view, $895,000 Tom Gangemi

www.philarealtyexchange.com

1613 LOMBARD ST- Brand new everything, 3 br, 2 bth and working fire place $499,900 Kera Ritter 401 S. 17th St-401 S. 17th: Quaint space, great location, new kitchen, commercial on 1st floor. $499,900. Kera Ritter SPRING GARDEN 1601 SPRING GARDEN ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $179,900 Janis Dubin SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 1904 S. 9th St- 2br home in Bella Vista w/ large living room, $139,900 John Perno UNIVERSITY CITY 209 Saint Marks Sq- 6br,2.5bth porch front w/huge backyard, c/a, w/d, wood floors and high ceilings. $599,000 Janis Dubin

FOR RENT 711 S. 18th ST-2 beds/1.5 baths, backyard, 2 secure parking spaces, great space $2,000 mo Kera Ritter 3512 BARING ST – Studio, utilities included in rent starting at $900 mo Kera Ritter 2349 DICKINSON ST- Clean modern 4 bedroom house pet friendly $895 mo Janis Dubin 4030 W. GIRARD AVE-Huge Storefront retail space, $1000 mo Kera Ritter 1613 LOMBARD ST Brand new everything, 3 br, 2 bth and working fp $2000 mo Kera Ritter 2314 REED St- 2 bedrooms- 2 Units-wood ﬂoors, new kit, exposed brick starting $895 mo Janis Dubin 226 W. RITTENHOUSE SQ-2br,den, recently renovated, balcony, view of park $3500 mo Tom Gangemi 1601 SPRING GARDEN ST #419- gorgeous upgraded unit, elevator and secure $1000 mo Janis Dubin 2015 WALNUT ST-Commercial Storefront in Rittenhouse Sq. $2,000 mo Kera Ritter Various 1 and 2 bedroom residential listings-For More Information Please Call The Ofﬁce CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR FULL TIME SALES AGENT- FOR INTERVIEW CALL OFFICE

WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW SALES ASSOCIATE, MAURICE CORNELIUS

Luxury Condos - All New!

All have hardwood ﬂoors, ﬁreplaces, granite, stainless, top-of-the-line everything.

Unit 1 - 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 levels, 3000 sq. ft.. Impressive Contemporary Home $929,000 Unit 2 - One bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, bi-level upgraded cutie - best ﬁnishes $319,000 Unit 3 - 2 bedroom, 2 bath with deck, bi-level Bright and roomy! $529,000

Also Wanamaker House - one bedroom plus den on 28th Floor - 2 baths and sep dining room totally unique! $575,000 1424 Lombard - huge 5 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath classic brownstone with large sep dining room 1860’s vintage - new kitchen - 3000 sq. ft. of historic charm. Excellent condition $749,000 1014 Spruce 8-1 - Value! 2 bedroom, 1 bath. North & South views! Hardwood and stainless - only $339,000 Suzanne E. Petruzel, GRI Sales Associate Cell 610-859-8030

Fox & Roach REALTORS®

At the Rittenhouse 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq. Phila, PA 19103 Dir. 215-790-5671 Fax 215-546-3415 Ofﬁce 215-546-0550 suzanne.petruzel@prufoxroach.com

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

REAL ESTATE

SALE

Buy or Sell in the Poconos Close to Mt. Airy Casino & Camel Back.

Packer Park

Several Style Homesites Available from the low 300’s in the Community of Packer Park - Philadelphia Very safe, clean, convenient Community Minutes from Whitman Bridge, I - 95, Sports Complex, International Airport, FDR Park (350 acres of open Greenspace with golf, tennis, skateboarding, walking & biking trails) We have several luxurious home sites available, many with ten yr tax abatements & Developer Incentives, From the low 300’s - most with GARAGES for your safety and convenience.

bc@CapozziRealEstate.com www.CapozziRealEstate.com 215 551 5100 • 3320 South 20th St

Corners of Routes 390 & 44 • Candensis, PA 18325 OFFICE: (570) 595-2110 • FAX: (570) 595-7207 CELL: (570) 994-5118

FRED W. BALDI

REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® fred_baldi@hotmail.com

www.PoconosHomesInfo.com REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAYBORHOOD Available Immediately. One bedroom apartment with central air conditioning, ample closet space and wall to wall carpet. Great Center City Location for only $900 per month. Please call Tom at Solo Realty Co. to see this space. 215564-7656 ext. 22 or tom@solorealty.com _______________________________33-15 SOMERS POINT TOWNHOUSE 3BR, 3Ba, on the Bay, hdwd flrs, C/A & vac, W/D, newer appls., 50FT boat slip w/dock, min to bch/casinos/shops. 12 mos. lease. $1550/mo + utils. 484-995-3381. _______________________________33-14 SOUTH PHILA. PENNSPORT All new townhouse, 2 BR, new granite bath, hdwd flrs, granite kit, patio, fin. bsmt. new C/A, heat. Gorgeous. 215-292-2176. $1250/mo. _______________________________33-13 PENNSPORT AREA, FRONT ST. LOC. Newly remodeled 2 BR house w/full bsmt., hdwd flrs., C/A, new bath w/jacuzzi, mod. kit. D/W, C/D, microwave. Fenced in private patio. $1350. 215-768-9309. _______________________________33-14

ART MUSEUM 2BR house for rent, parking deck Art Museum Area-- off 26th St. (800 N. Bambrey, 19130) Corner house on quiet street, close to public transportation. Newly renovated, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, hardwood ﬂoors, AC, laundry, deck, PARKING, wired. $1600 Call 215-990-4850. Go to www.kratzworks.com for rental app. _______________________________33-14

RENT

COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SPACE Located at 17th and Lombard 1100 Sq Ft. on first floor with full basement. Is fitted as restaurant now, but good for food retail, salon or professional office space also.

Call: 267 544-0260

10th & Federal 2 bdroom apt. no pets, non smoker prefered 10th and Federal location, gay friendly bldg. Reference and background check required.

$800/ month

Please call 215 -465-6033 between 9 am and 3 pm only

ROOMMATES

PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ ROOMMATE WANTED, LANGHORNE Room available langhorne. $550 inc, heat/ H2o, internet, shared kit/bath, W/D. close to train (R3), RT95, US1,, shopping malls. free parking. quiet setting. pool pass extra. htoad42000@yahoo.com _______________________________33-14 Share 2 BR apt. 69th St. U. Darby . CC bus at door. $350 + 1/2 util. W/D. 610-352-1188. _______________________________33-15

2614 W. MONTGOMERY AVE. Rooms for rent ranging from $350 to $500. Located on 2nd & 3rd ﬂoor. Utils. paid by landlord. Please contact Mrs. Johnson. 215300-3182. _______________________________33-13 GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________33-15

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

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MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

APRIL 18 - 24, 2008 MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

REAL ESTATE

SALE

REAL ESTATE

SALE

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REAL ESTATE

148 Smithbridge Road - Concordville PA NEW CONSTRUCTIONw/Victorian Style-Priv Decks w/magnigicent views, Open Floor Plan makes this home the Entertaining “Home of the Year”Builder had the “Creative Decorator” in mind for this secluded 2.5 ac-Sng Home-Grmt Kit w/Grnt Cntrs-Gas Frplc, Hrdwd Flrs-1st Flr Full Bath-poss for Main Flr Bdrm-2nd Flr Mstr Ste w/Retreat Bth w/Whrlpl Tub, 2 add bdrms plus add Bath, 3rd Flr-poss 5/6 bdrms, W/O LL-ready to ﬁnish-Game Rm or 2nd Fmly Rm-3 Car GarEasy Access to all Major Arteries to Phila & DE- and Train Station

Call Maria McAnulty @ 610-636-4557

Century 21- The Real Estate Store

Concordville 610-558-5800 VACATION

Don’t get

RENTAL

stuck

SUMMER RENTAL SEA ISLE CITY, NJ More info at www.vacationseaisle.com Monthly / Half Season / Full Season. _______________________________33-16 OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online www.philarealtyexchange.com reservations www.holidayoc.com _______________________________33-13

1608 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

FISHTOWN 262 E. GIRARD – Four unit bldg. mixed use, new roof h/w flrs, rehab ongoing $1,100,000 Alison Ermilio GRADUATE HOSPITAL 1514 WHARTON – Property is a cleaned out shell. Rear of property was removed. Ready for rehab. Lot next door is available-may be sold as a package. $99,000 Janis Dubin 1516 WHARTON – VACANT LOT. $40,000 Janis Dubin LOGAN SQUARE Adorable seashore 149 N. 21ST – Six unit building, cleaned out and framed (shell condition) $795,000 John Perno in the heart of MT AIRY/OAKhome LANE 2048 E RITTENHOUSE – 3 br, 1 bath home in need of the TLC, hardwood deck $75,000 Stacy Crest. fl3rs,bedrooms, Klein/Janis Dubin OLD CITY2 full baths, EIK, living room,Bldg,family 301 RACE, UNIT 503 – Penthouse unit in Old City’s Wireworks high ceilings,room, storage space $269,000 Alison Ermilio outdoor shower and 244-48 N. 3RD, UNIT 3B – Corner unit condo, parking included, tenant occupied until 11/08 only 2 1/2 blocks to $259,000 Kera Ritter SOUTH PHILADELPHIA the beach! Great front 1145 GERRITT – 3 BR, 1 BA, full basement, new w/d included $199,000 Alison Ermilio porch and back deck 1541 S. 31ST – 3 br, 1 bath, newer kitchen w/granite countertops, c/a, finished basement for relaxing. Off street $99,000 Janis Dubin

RENT

MANAYUNK RETAIL 1200 s.f. + storage. $2500/mo. Renovated on Main & Grape. 610-647-1776. www. eadeh.com _______________________________32-17 MANAYUNK Studio apt. $850/mo. + utils. Avail. May. 610647-1776. www.eadeh.com _______________________________32-17 NORTHERN LIBERTIES Cozy 3 story home, 2 BR, 1.5 BA, lg. yard, family rm./den, laundry in bsmt. LR w/exposed beams & brick. Hdwd rs, EIK. $1100/mo. + utils. Call 302-761-9500 or maria@165girardave.com _______________________________32-17 GRAD HOSPITAL AREA 2 newly renov. 2 BR apts, hdwd rs. 1st fgl. w/rear yard, W/D, C/A. 1319 S. 23rd St. $650. 267-320-9618. _______________________________32-16 OLD CITY Castings. Renovated Factory. Condo Bldg, Courtyard 1 Bedrm Apt. HW Flrs. W/D, Ctl Air, $1250/mth. Call 215 588-0606. _______________________________32-18 AVENUE OF THE ARTS VACATION Modern 2 bedroom apartment with large living room, large eat-in kitchen, D/W, micro, ice maker, washer/dryer, central A/C, loaded satellite TV, heat and hot water, all included. You pay; gas cooking and electric. Subway and bus at the front door. $1,200 / month. 215-416-5545. Available May 2008. This is a non-smoking building. _______________________________32-18 5 bedroom, 2 Baths Bank Repo only $45,000! Payments from $199/month! 5% down, 20 years @8%apr. For listings 800-604-8363. _______________________________32-16 3 Bedroom Bank foreclosure only $207/month! 4 bedroom, 2 bath home only $238/month! 5% down, 20 years @8% apr! For listings 800-546-8656 ext. s915. _______________________________32-16

RENTAL

Gay is our middle name.

Vacation Rental

with the

wrong doctor...

Health Directory

VACATION/ Wildwood SEASONAL Crest, NJRENTALS LOWER CHELSEA ATLANTIC CITY Lovely 3 bd. 1 ba. fully furnished home in beautiful secluded gay court. 2 blocks to beach, jitney at corner. Long season-12,500. plus security dep. Call 609-347-8059. _______________________________32-17 REHOBOTH/LEWES Lg. twhnse, 3 BR, 2.5 BA. No pets or smoking. $1500/wk, $5000/mo. 302-236-3338. _______________________________32-19 OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/partial weeks. Call for free brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102 Online reservations www.holidayoc.com _______________________________32-16 Pawleys Island, Litcheld, Debordieu, The Jewels of the South Carolina Coast. House/ condo rentals. Beach vacations start here! www.lachicotte.com. For availability call 1800-422-4777. _______________________________32-16

parking. Well behaved allowed. 262 E. GIRARD – Commercial space on busy street, pets $3,500/MON Alison Ermilio 209 SAINT MARK’S SQ – Res 5 BR 2 1⁄2 BA, Univ. City Victorian, incl. w/d, refrig $3,500/MON Contact Lisa at 973-492-1532 or iluvpits@msn.com Janis Dubin FOR RENT each

week in

PGN

REAL ESTATE

SALE

PAGE 95 PAGE 47

ROOMMATES

PGN

PGN WILL NOT PUBLISH RACIAL DISTINCTIONS IN ROOMMATE ADS. SUCH NOTATIONS WILL BE EDITED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. ___________________________________ GREATER NE PHILA. Have your own bedroom in a beautiful split level home with 2 gay men. House is 4 BR, 2 full baths, W/D, upper and lower decks, use of kitchen. Property is by Welsh & the Boulevard, 1 min. to 58 bus. We ask only that you be at least reasonably neat and employed. Rent is $600 + 1/3 utils. Contact Dave at 215-698-0215. _______________________________32-19 NE PHILA. House to share. $350/mo. Call John at 267574-1804. _______________________________32-16 OVERBROOK PARK/CITY LINE Room. Use of kitchen, W/D, cable. $450/mo. 215-850-7900. _______________________________32-16 REHOBOTH BEACH House share, room avail. Inc. pvt bath, deck, pool & utils. 5/1 to 9/1. $5400 season. Call 302-530-1071. _______________________________32-17

HELP WANTED

SELL AVON! 50% PROFIT. 1-800-AVON-443 (ISR) _______________________________32-20 Banquet Servers Needed Shifts Avail 7days/week $12-14/Hour. Call Today! Best Personnel 1315 Walnut St. Suite 320 215-732-3100 _______________________________32-16 OPERATIONS DIRECTOR For successful growing cleaning company. Starts P/T, becomes F/T. Must be: exible, hands on, detail oriented, willing to learn and grow. Salary commensurate w/exp. Great owners/leadership, great staff, paid training. Call 856-424-1444. _______________________________32-17

HELP WANTED

Jersey Shore Housekeeper/Driver wanted. 40 hours a week. Valid drivers license and references required. Started at $15.6k per year. Med. Insurance after 6 mos. (Low rent Apt. available.)

HELP WANTED Email: jjs@1616pr.com

Seeking part-time editorial intern The Philadelphia Gay News is seeking a part-time editorial intern. As editorial intern, you will perform a variety of duties in support of the editorial staff. Duties might include writing short articles and weekly event listings, research, fact checking, ling, archiving data and special projects. Intern(s) may also have the opportunity (depending on level of interest and journalistic skills) to attend local events (press conferences, rallies, etc.) and write news and features articles. Intern(s) should be highly motivated with strong writing skills. A journalistic background is preferred but not required. Intern(s) must have the ability to stay focused while working independently. Intern(s) must be able to meet deadlines both on a daily and longer-term basis. This is an unpaid internship (academic credit available), 15-20 hours per week. Skills: Computer procient. (Prefer Word, e-mail, In-Design, Excel. Photoshop a plus.) Organized, detail oriented Solid written and verbal communications skills; knowledge of AP style Team player

Please send résumé, cover letter and three writing samples to Sarah Blazucki, Editor, Philadelphia Gay News, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147. Or e-mail, editor@epgn.com.

PAGE 48

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

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HELP WANTED

Extra Income Mailing Brochures. Weekly pay check! Free 24 hour information 1-888250-8110. _______________________________33-13 NOW AVAILABLE! 2009 POST OFFICE JOBS. $18-$20/hr. NO EXPERIENCE, PAID TRAINING, FED BENEFITS, VACATIONS. CALL 1-800-910-9941 TODAY! Ref #PA09. _______________________________33-13

PGN

The Sky’s The Limit!

@ White Trophy

TROPHIES - AWARDS - SIGNS IMPRINTED APPAREL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS FOR “ANY” EVENT! Nothing’s too BIG or small!

215-638-9134 ��

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED TRAVEL AGENT WANTED Motivated agent for well established travel agency in NE Philly specializing in cruises. Min 2 years experience. ask for Dave 215969-8666. _______________________________33-13 HOUSEKEEPER WANTED By gay couple in Bucks Co. Clean house, odds & ends. Live in possible. ksboll@verizon.net _______________________________33-14 Part-time, home-based Internet business. Earn $500-$1000/month or more. Flexible hours. Training provided. No selling required. FREE details. www.K348.com _______________________________33-13 Drive the Big Trucks! Earn Big Bucks! 25 Driver Trainees needed. $700-$800/week No CDL, no problem. No credit, no problem. Call Now! 1-800-961-4319. _______________________________33-13 Over 18? Between High School and College? Travel and Have Fun w/Young Successful Business Group. No Experience Necessary. 2wks Paid Training. Lodging, Transportation Provided. 1-877-646-5050. _______________________________33-13 Mailing Brochures! Weekly pay + Bonus. Supplies Furnished. Guaranteed Opportunity. Call Now! 1-800-307-7131. _______________________________33-13

Cashiers / Cleaners Full-time / Part-time All shifts available Apply in person Sansom St. Gym 2020 Sansom St. Phila., PA 19103 ��

Advertising Sales Representative PGN, one of the country's most award-winning Gay and Lesbian publications, is looking for a special candidate to fill this position in our advertising sales department. Applicants should have previous advertising sales experience, preferably in a similar environment. You should have a strong work ethic, good communication skills (both written and verbal), and an aggressive desire to sell advertising in this very special niche market. Most important, you should aspire to become an integral part of our successful sales team. We offer a competitive salary plus bonus, as well as Health Insurance. Applicants should call Nick Forte at 215-6258501, ext. 209. Email resume to nick@epgn.com or send resume to: PGN, 505 S. 4th St., Phila. PA. 19147 Attn.: Nick Forte EOE

PAGE 108 CLASSIFIEDS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

FOR SALE Metal Rooﬁng and Siding Buy Direct, We manufacture and cut to your length, also a large supplier of Pole Building material 1-800373-3703 www.abmartin.net _______________________________33-13 ONLINE PHARMACY Buy Soma, Ultram, Fioricet, Prozac, Buspar $71.99/90 $107/180 Quantities. PRICE INCLUDES PRESCRIPTION! Over 200 meds $25 Coupon. Mention Offer: #21A31. 1-888531-6744. tri-pharmacy.info _______________________________33-13 ABSOLUTELY NO COST TO YOU!! ALL BRAND NEW POWER WHEELCHAIRS, HOSPITAL BEDS AND SCOOTERS. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. CALL TOLL FREE 1-888-9984111 TO QUAILIFY. _______________________________33-13

SERVICES

PAGE 108

Responsible and reliable girl looking for more houses to clean. Cleaning done by girl from Europe. If you want your home cleaned and in spotless condition, call 215-427-0989. _______________________________33-15 ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From Home. *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Computers, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualiﬁed. Call 866-858-2121 www.CenturaOnline.com _______________________________33-13 AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualiﬁed -Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (888)349-5387. _______________________________33-13

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES

Is it time to look for a new doctor?

100% RECESSION PROOF! Do you earn $800 in a day? Your own local candy route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy All for $9,995. 1-800-460-4027. _______________________________33-13 VANGUARD CLEANING SYSTEMS FRANCHISE Commercial Ofﬁce Cleaning. Operate a Business that YOU own! Since 1984, as low as $1500 down, Equipment, Support, Customers. Phone: 717-260-3678. _______________________________33-13

AUTOS

CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 49

��

Is it time to look for a new doctor? CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

Want to let mom, dad and all of your �� exs know you’re tying the knot? Individual, Couple & Family Counseling Life & Career Coaching

PAGE 108

Speciﬁc Expertise: Grief & Loss Transitions in Life Children / Adolescents with Educational or Emotional Needs Private Pay: Moderate Fee Scale Ofﬁce Location: East Norriton, Montgomery County

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DONATE VEHICLE Receive $1000 Grocery Coupon. Noah’s Arc Support No Kill Shelters. Research to Advance Veterinary Treatments. Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners accepted 1-866-912-GIVE. _______________________________33-13

ADOPTION Considering Adoption? A beautiful home, loving attorney and nurturing full-time mom awaits your baby. Expenses paid. Call Anne & Phyllis (ask for michelle/adam). 1-800-790-5260. _______________________________33-13

Gay is our middle name.

Is it time to look for a new doctor? ��

PAGE 50

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

CLASSIFIEDS

��

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY ��

��

this space: only $25 per week*

Your ad dollars go further when you target your PAGE 106 audience

��

*when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

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CLASSIFIEDS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

HOME IMPROVEMENT DIRECTORY

PAGE 51

CASTELLI ROOFING® & GENERAL CONTRACTORS, INC.

Family Owned & Operated — Over 25 Years Experience Rooﬁng Siding General Construction Specializing in Historical Rooﬁng

Free Estimates Personalized Service Licensed & Insured 100% Customer Satisfaction

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Social Security Disability Claims Appeals

Social Security Disability Claims Appeals PAGE 110 PAGE PAGE 110 PAGE 52 PAGE110 110215-629-0585 PAGE 110 Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2008

215-629-0585 CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 106 CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS

APRIL 25 -- MAY 1, 2008 APRIL 25- MAY MAY1,2, 1, 2009 2008 2008 CLASSIFIEDS MAR.2525 27 - MAY APR. APRIL APRIL 1,2008 2008 APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2008

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

CLASSIFIEDS

AMY F. STEERMAN Attorney at Law

Concentrating in Planning for Lesbian and Gay Couples • Probate • Wills • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteerman.com

1900 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.amysteermman.com

215-735-1006

PARTNERS IN LAW PARTNERS IN LIFE

Suite 202 Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030

Torchia & Kaufmann, L.L.C. William A. Torchia, Esquire THIS SPACE IS YOURS

Estate* & Tax Planning Estate & Tax Planning Only $25.00 GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY GENERAL PRACTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY Per Week! �� • Estate Administration • Domestic Relations • Incorporation • Powers of Attorney • Name Change • Immigration That’s Less Than • Property Agreements • Guardianships • Social Security • Accidents • Real Estate • Elder Law A Week’s Worth Of 1528 Walnut St. Suite 1220, �� Double Mocha Lattes Philadelphia, PA 19102 ��

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215-546-1950 (Voice) *8 Week Minimum

• WILLS & ESTATES • • DISCRIMINATION • • SMALL BUSINESS • • DIVORCE • • EMPLOYMENT • • REAL ESTATE • • CIVIL ACTIONS • • AUTO ACCIDENTS • • POWER OF ATTORNEY • • DOMESTIC PARTNERS •

James M. M. Quesenberry,MA, MA,CRC, CRC,CVE CVE James James M.Quesenberry, Quesenberry, MA, MA, CRC, CRC, CVE CVE Disability Consultant James M. Quesenberry, MA, CRC, CVE Disability Consultant DisabilityConsultant Consultant Disability Consultant

Suite 202 Suite Suite202 202 Suite 202 Rd. Oxford Valley Oxford OxfordValley ValleyRd. Rd. Oxford Valley Rd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030 FairlessHills, Hills,PA PA19030 19030 Fairless 19030 Fairless Hills, PA 19030

Your ad dollars go further when you target your audience *when you run for a minimum of 8 weeks

Jeremy R. Gussick Financial Advisor

Smith Barney

1211 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-238-5849 jeremy.r.gussick@smithbarney.com A division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. Member SIPC

• Criminal

�

A M W

215-546-8801 (Fax)

GALLOP �

Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia Bar Association Serving Southeastern PA., South Jersey; and Delaware. Organized to promote civil and human rights. GALLOP Referral Service provides free referrals to attorneys sensitive to the needs of the community For info or a referral, call 215-627-9090 P.O. Box 58279, Penn Center Station, Phila., PA 19102 www.galloplaw.org

THIS SPACE IS YOURS Only $25.00* Per Week!

That’s Less Than A Week’s Worth Of Double Mocha Lattes *8 Week Minimum

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521 S. 2ND ST., PHILA., PA APPT. ALSO AVAIL IN DE & NJ

Financial Advice for the GLBT Community

• Adoption

�

215-627-8200 PA 302-777-2201 DE this space: only $25 per week*

�� • Wills, Living Wills, Trusts ��

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Social Security Disability Social Disability Social Security SecurityDisability Disability Social Security Disability Claims Appeals Appeals Claims Appeals Claims Appeals Claims Appeals 215-629-0585 215-629-0585 215-629-0585 215-629-0585

MINSTER & FACCIOLO, LLC

Attorneys-at-Law

Attorney-at-Law

�

Charles S. Frazier, Esq. Attorney at Law

• General Practice • Wills and Trusts • Living Wills • Powers of Attorney • Cohabitation Agreements

Wayne, PA (610) 687-4077 cstar1@verizon.net

THIS SPACE IS YOURS Only $25.00* Per Week!

That’s Less Than A Week’s Worth Of Double Mocha Lattes

Gregory H. Quig

Attorney at L Real Estate / Zoni Liquor Licenses an

1822 S. Broad St. Philadlephia, PA 19145

*8 Week Minimum

R. FRANCISCO CORBIN, ESQUIRE Areas of Practice: Automobile Accidents Slip and Falls Workers Compensation Construction Accidents DUI Power of Attorney Name Change Estate Planning Wills, Living Wills

3000 Market Street Suite 201 Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 243-3450 or Old City Location 335B N. Front Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 717-7095

Reach Over 40,000Reach Readers Weekly For As Little As $25.00 A Week. 215-625-8501 Over 40,000 Readers Weekly For As Little Call As $25.00 A Week.Today! Call 215-625

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

Adult/Personals

FRIENDS

LOOKING FOR ROMANCE Attractive GWM, warm, sensitive, caring, 48 y.o. with a smooth gymnast build looking for other GWM, 30-50, who is also in good shape. I live in NE Phila. I’m looking for guys who are also sensitive, caring with a fun personality. If this sounds interesting to you feel free to call me, David, 215-698-0215. _______________________________33-18

GWM, Italian, top or bottom, 7” cut. Also into assplay, toys & water sports. Bi, straight, out of towners welcome. Day or night. Call Jeff at 215-850-7900. _______________________________33-14 WM, NE Phila. If you’re looking for hot action, call 215-934-5309. No calls after 11 PM. _______________________________33-15 WANT TO TOP? You: big equipment! Me: real nice white butt. 215-732-2108, 8-11 PM. _______________________________33-13 WM, 62 ISO WM, 18-30 for gentle massage and mutual oral pleasure and hot shower. Page 877-510-7970 or 888-218-0022, leave number & message. _______________________________33-16

Daddy sks sissy. Friend Delco 610-352-1188 _______________________________33-18 ORAL FUN Bi WM Looking to service singles,couples or groups. Would def be a bottom for the right pep. Call 215-498-8444, leave a message. _______________________________33-14 Y PLAY W/URSELF. I LUV TO Watch/feel & gobble 2 cumpletion. Daytimes, wknds, ur place. U2B38-62 but all welcum. Xdrs, panty wearer, big +. Me: D/D free, subm bi WM snr. 215-574-1824. OK 2 lv any type msg. _______________________________33-13 Over 40, versatile men for group. Be in decent shape. Nothing freaky. HIV-. Prvt. apartment, Center City. George, 215-922-7692. _______________________________33-13

MEN

Erotic Dungeon Master

6’, 165 lbs., 60 year old Master, greek active, french passive requires obedient slave for training, S&M, B/D, W/S, etc. Limits respected and expanded. Assistant Master wanted. Call Dave at 215-729-6670, day or evening. _______________________________33-14 Xdress sex party. CD house orgy every Sat. nite. GWM couple ISO GWMs 18-40 yrs. for 1 on 1 and group sex. Stockings, pantyhose, etc. Starts 9 PM Sat. Call Sat. 7-8 PM 856910-8303, ask for Mark. _______________________________33-24 GWM, 71 ISO 45+ for platonic friendship. Any race, honest, sincere, Phila. area only. goodfriend19004@yahoo.com or PO Box 583, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. All responses answered. _______________________________33-13 W boy ISO black/Latin couples. 215-4164146. _______________________________33-16

PAGE 53

THE PLAYGROUND

FRIENDS

MEN

Hot Stuff and His Boys Private Dancers for that special occasion

(302) 290-3573

FRIENDS

MEN

Fantasy

Island

Adult

Books

Viewing booths - Take a peep FREE! Lube with $25 purchase RUSH to 7363 State Rd. Phila. Call for directions: 215-332-5454 At the I-95/Cottman Exit Open 7 days a week

C-36

Services Directory CERTIFIED

MASSAGE

CERTIFIED

MASSAGE

Come and Enjoy a professional, therapeutic, and sensual massage tailored to your needs suburban location convenient to Valley Forge, ChesCo, Berks and Lancaster G-06

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PGN Health Directory

7 Make waves. Write a letter.

PGN

Handsome Certified Therapist 6’, 195 lbs, Muscle Gives Sensual / Therapeutic Massage

Call 215-432-6030

B-7

PAGE 54

THE PLAYGROUND

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009

• Sensual • Erotic

Available for in/out appointments.

Discreet, clean and relaxing MAR. 27 - APR. atmosphere. 2, 2009

G-06 G-06

Call Franco anytime 24/7 at 215 463- 0368.B24 MASSAGE B24

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Call Call

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G-01 G-01 G-01

B-2

PGN

G-02 G-02 G-02 G-02

Diversions.

Reservation deadline PGN is Friday, 3pm, prior FRIENDS toMEN issue to appear. Camera ready ads must arrive by noon on Monday prior to issue. PGN deadlines are strictly followed.

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Tall, attractive, muscular, experienced and will tailor your massage to suit your needs..

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PAGE 55

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PAGE 56

PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS

MAR. 27 - APR. 2, 2009